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00032703370 

JhlS  TiTLE  HAS  BfcE^.  MiCS^i^^ 

This  book  musf  not 
be  token  from  the 
Library  building. 


,  ^ 


Form  No.  471 


BIOGRAPHIC  SKETCHES 


H^OF!^ 


Fenner  Bryan  Satterthwaite, 


^TOGETHER    WITH    THE^^ 


Obituary    Proceedings 


-*;0F  THE^ 


WASHINGTON    BAR,    ETC. 


Norfolk,  Va.: 

VlKHINlAX   STKA.M    PKINT, 


PREFACE. 


After  a  lapse  of  a  decade  from  his  death  I  begin  the 
arduous  task  of  compiHng  some  biographic  sketches,  va- 
riously collected,  of  Fen'ner  Bryan  Sattf.rthwaite. 

A  great  man  is  about  to  pass  beyond  the  memory  of 
this  generation  unnoticed.  Nor  is  it  fitting  in  us  to  so 
overwhelm  ourselves  with  the  business  of  this  impatient 
epoch,  that  we  bury  the  remembrance  of  former  achiexe- 
ments,  lest  haply  we  be  rushing  to  a  future  uncertain  and 
experimental.  Contrariwise,  I  judge  we  ought  to  pause 
before  each  grand  structure  of  the  past  age  and  formulate 
a  prudent  course  for  us,  observing  with  equal  care  the 
successes  and  reverses  of  their  fortunes. 

In  particular,  does  it  behoove  us  to  contemplate  with 
respectful  minds  any  remarkable  character  that  has  flour- 
ished before  our  very  eyes,  allied  to  many  in  this  section 
by  consanguinity  and  the  closest  relations  of  personal 
friendship.  For,  in  viewing  such  an  one,  we  do  not 
behold  them  as  prophets  of  a  distant  time  or  country, 
the  heroic  in  whose  lives  is  alone  explicated  to  us,  but 
rather  as  a  familiar  acquaintance,  full  of  effect  and  delect 
like  us.  Thus  a  character  of  striking  similitude  to  our 
own,  whose  successes  attracted  notice,  we  can't  fail  to 
view  without  benefit,  coupled  with  a  commendable  pa- 
triotic pride.  Nor  do  I  think  that  any  cynics  can  impugn 
my  motives  upon  the  grounds  of  consanguinous  interest, 
(for  what  is  that  to  American  boys?)  or  deem  my  inten- 
tions otherwise  than  humble  and  correct. 

No  better  apology  can  be  offered  to  those  who  may, 
with  any  interest,  peruse  these  pages  than  is  suggested 


6 

by  the  foregoing  observations.  I  do  not  expect  any 
extended  circulation  from  the  fact  that  the  reading  public 
is  supplied  with  a  superabundance  of  literature. 

Scarcely  could  a  man  in  a  life  time  peruse  the  books 
published  in  a  day  ;  therefore,  it  seems  presumptuous  to 
offer  anything  else,  especially  from  so  unaccustomed  a 
pen  as  mine  ;  but  I  find  sufficient  excuse  in  the  sugges- 
tion and  encouragement  I  have  had  to  prosecute  the 
work,  in  the  full  belief  that  many  friends  of  Mr.  Satterth- 
waite  are  still  living  who  will  hail  with  delight  any  tribute 
to  his  memory  ;  and  lastly,  because  I  have  selected  the 
unostentatious  method  of  using  more  largely  the  writing 
of  others  than  my  own,  to  whom  I  extend  my  most 
grateful  thanks. 

F.  S.  STICKNEY. 

Washington,  N.  C,  1887. 


CONTENTS. 


Sketch   I. — F.  S.  vStickney,         ....  9-18 

"       2.— S.  S.  Satchwell,  M.  D..         .         .  19-22 

3.— Kemp  P.  Battle,  L.  L.  D.,       .         .  23-25 

"       4.— T.  P.  Ricaud,       ....  26-31 

"       5.— John  S.  Long,           ....  32-35 

"       6. — Hugh  F.  Murray,         .         .         .  36-40 

"       7.— S.  S.  Satchwell,  M.  D.,    .         .         .  41-43 

"       8.— D.  T.  Taylor,  M.  D.,           .         .  44-47 
Satterthwaite  as  Lawyer  and  Orator — G.  H. 

Brown,  Jr., 48-51 

Extract  from  Sermon  by  Rev.  E.  M.  Green,      .  52-53 

Meeting  of  County  Commissioners.             .         .  54 

Letter  from  Hon.  Jesse  J.  Yeates,           ...  55 

Meeting  of  the  Bar,    ......  56-57 

Eulogy,  I. — By  Judge  E.  G.  Reade,      .         .  58-59 

2.--By  Judge  W.  A.  Moore,         .         .  60-61 

3.— By  Judge  W.  B.  Rodman,          .  62-63 

"        4. — By  Major  Thos,  Sparrow,       .         .  64-66 

"        5. — By  Judge  James  E.  Shepherd,        .  67-70 

Address  by  F.  B.  Satterthwaite  before  Esperanza 

Lodge, 71-85 


FIRST  SKETCH. 


The  Satterthwaites  came  from  England  in  the 
colonial  days,  and  located  in  the  exact  spot  where  the 
city  of  Philadelphia  now  stands. 

Joseph  was  the  first  to  turn  his  course  southward.  He 
came  to  North  Carolina,  and  settled  in  that  section  of 
Beaufort  county  called  Punoo,  then  known  by  its  Indian 
name,  Machipungo,  before  the  Rexolution.  From  him 
was  descended  in  the  third  generation  Fenner  Bryan 
Satterthwaite,  who  was  born  on  the  6th  of  March,  1813. 

Reared  in  quiet  and  unostentatious  walks,  his  early 
life  was  not  eventful,  sa\e  in  the  circumstances  that  sur- 
round the  life  of  a  wild  and  happy  boy.  None  of  those 
elements  of  modern  ci\ilization,  growing  out  of  the 
methods  of  intimate  and  rapid  communication,  drawing 
in  their  train  some  attendant  vices,  had  entered  the 
homes  of  that  old  fashioned,  hospitable  country  where 
Mr.  Satterthwaite  was  growing  up. 

There  may  be  observed  to  this  day  something  of  the 
spirit  of  the  early  settlers  in  lower  Beaufort  county. 
They  were  people  who  had  fled  from  persecution  to  the 
wild  retreat  in  the  woods  of  Carolina,  then  an  unnamed 
pr()\  ince. 

Thus  a  liberty  loving  people  had  grown  up  in  her 
borders. 

P>ee  as  the  birds  that  reared  their  unharmed  broods 
in  the  tangled  wood  was  the  spirit  of  our  young  hero. 
Directed  by  a  good  mother,  were  woven  into  the  fabric 
ot  his  character,  those  principles  that  fitted  him  for  future 
use  and  ornament  to  his  family  and  constituents.  He 
learned  by  contact  and   experience  to    appreciate    the 


10 

worth  and  position  of  those  people  on  whom  the  great 
strength  of  nations  hangs. 

The  old  people  tell  nie  that  he  was,  when  merging  into 
manhood,  a  tall,  handsome  youth,  with  marked,  expres- 
sive features,  possessing  great  good  humor  and  love  for 
fun. 

Many  an  hapless  individual  was  the  victim  of  his 
adroit  pranks.  His  perfect  command  of  all  his  faculties 
and  feelings  made  him  a  successful  operator  in  these 
frolics.  This  power  he  manifested  in  remarkable  degree 
in  maturer  years,  relating  the  most  amusing  anecdotes 
with  inimitable  skill  and  composure. 

He  never  laughed,  but  his  expressi\e  smile  meant 
more  than  a  laugh. 

When  a  mere  boy  his  father  died,  and  thus  grave  re- 
sponsibilities fell  upon  him. 

Now,  we  may  behold  him  as  he  places  his  foot  firmly 
upon  the  threshold  oi  life,  without  wealth,  without  educa- 
tion, without  paternal  assistance;  unknown  he  steps  into 
the  arena.  He  has  no  weapon  but  his  will,  no  defense 
but  his  own  good  character.  His  equipment  was  nature's 
own  gift — no  more. 

It  need  not  confront  our  eyes  with  amazement  that  a 
splendid  structuj-e  grew  from  this  foundation  ;  for  it  is  an 
obvious  fact  that  almost  all  heroic  characters,  both  in  the 
past,  and  in  our  own  time,  are  taken  fresh  from  the  lap 
of  nature. 

Luxury  is  an   indulgent  mother  that  spares  the  rod 

and  spoils  the  child. 

"  Those  who  toil  bravely  are  strongest ; 
The  humble  and  poor  become  great ; 
And  from  little  brown  lianded  children 
Do  grow  mighty  rulers  of  State. 

"  The  pen  of  the  author  and  statesman— 
The  noble  and  wise  of  nm  land — 
The  sword,  and  chisel,  and  pallet 
Shall  be  held  in  the  little  brown  hand.'' 


11 

Men  may  transmit  property  to  their  children,  and  entail 
it  for  generations,  but  the'  mind  is  ( iod's  gift,  a  very  like- 
ness of  Himself:  and  when  He  is  about  to  give  to  the 
world  a  worthy  one,  He  fashicMis  him,  as  He  did  our 
prime  progenitor,  from  the  very  hollow  of  His  Omnipo- 
tent hand. 

To  turn  trom  moralizing  to  the  theme  : — We  first 
behold  him  taking  to  himself  a  wife,  Anna  Elizabeth,  the 
daughter  of  Edward  Langhinghouse,  of  Pitt,  before  he 
attains  his  majority.  Then  he  appears  as  a  politician  the 
following  year,  and  is  sent  to  the  Legislature  to  repre- 
sent Beaufort  county. 

Shortly  after  his  return  from  the  Legislature,  with  his 
effects  and  family  (wife  and  two  children),  he  moved  up 
the  river  into  Pitt  county,  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
from  old  Col.  Salter.  Here  he  built  and  cleared  a  valu- 
able estate. 

It  w:'s  at  this  place,  on  the  south  side  of  the  ri\cr, 
where  the  ui)land  freshets  of  the  Tar  merge  into  the 
broad  tide  waters  of  the  Pamlico,  that  Mr.  Satterthwaite 
was  wont  to  dispense  his  bountiful  and  free  hospitality. — 
A  hospitality  of  the  olden-time,  such  as  we  of  this  era  do 
not  know. 

Shortly  after  his  purchase  of  this  estate  his  finances 
fell  into  arrears,  and  he  was  held  in  prison  bounds  in  the 
town  of  W^ishington  under  the  old  law  of  huprisonmcnt 
for  debt. 

"  'Tis  an  ill  wind  that  blows  no  good."  Thus,  debarred 
from  employment,  by  that  incongruous  law  which  said — 
pay  me  what  thou  owest,  but  sit  still  till  the  money  comes 
to  you — he  formed  the  purpose  of  his  life. 

When  a  child  he  was  accustomed  to  listen  with  eager- 
ness to  the  conversation  of  that  great  and  good  man, 
Judge  Gaston,  who  frequently  stopped  at  his  father's 
house  as  he  went  to  and  returned  from   the  courts  in 


12 

Hyde.  He  longed  to  be  a  great  man  also  ;  but  no 
schools  were  accessible,  and  his  opportunties  meagre  for 
acquiring-  any  information. 

But  these  latent  fires  sprang  again  into  flame  when 
John  S.  Hawks,  Esq.,  offered  him  a  place  in  his  law 
office.  Dr.  Singletery,  the  Episcopal  pastor,  gave  him 
instruction  in  Latin,  for  the  Romans  have  not  only 
furnished  us  with  the  rudimentary  principles  of  law,  but 
have  left,  through  the  influence  of  succeeding  Romance 
nations,  all  the  terse  maxims  of  the  law  in  original 
Latin — a  knowledge  of  which  is  indispensable  to  a 
lawyer. 

With  such  assiduous  interest  did  Mr.  Satterthwaite 
push  these  studies  that  it  aroused  the  enthusiasm  and 
admiration  of  his  father-in-law,  who  came  to  his  rescue 
and  settled  his  difficulties  with  his  creditors. 

After  obtaining  license  he  began  practice  in  Washing- 
ton, but  he  liveci  upon  his  farm,  and  had  an  office  in  the 
yard 

His  popularity  soon  won  for  him  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice,  but,  with  quick  perception,  he  saw  he  could  not 
succeed  m  debating  matters,  involving  deep  legal 
scrutiny,  before  those  old  oracles  of  the  law  that  rode  the 
circuit  in  those  days.  So,  like  the  wise,  whose  greatest 
sagacity  is  manifest  in  the  tact  with  which  they  cover  up 
their  salient  points  of  character,  showing  themselves 
only  where" they  are  invulnerable,  he  turneci  his  attention 
eminently  to  the  arts  of  the  advocate.  In  this  he  was 
entirely  successful. 

As  a  speaker  he  was  unique,  original,  graceful,  natural, 
inimitable. 

His  language  was  simple,  fluent,  varied,  and  appro- 
priate ;  his  person,  tall,  handsome,  grave  ;  his  attitude 
noble,  full  of  suavity,   and   composure  ;    and    his  whole 


v.] 

presence  ni;il;n('tic.  1  Icre  was  a  t^rand  forensic  orator, 
indeed. 

Beaufort  county  never  had  the  lil-ce  hefore  ;  when  will 
she  produce  another  ? 

I  once  heard  a  notable  lawyer  say  that  in  \isitin_<i 
Washinoton  he  saw  this  splendid  orator  for  the  first  time, 
addressing'  a  large  assembly  iu  open  air.  It  seemed  to 
him  that  some  great  man  of  classic  history  liad  suddenly 
appeared  before  the  people.  All  were  listening  with  bated 
breath  to  the  entrancing  flights  of  his  eloquence.  At 
each  pathetic  illustration  a  suppressed  sigh  escaped  their 
lips.  Then  a  look  of  indignant  horror  seemed  to  knit 
their  brows  and  curdle  their  blood  as  he  depicted  the 
desperate  conduct  of  some  heartless  wretch.  Presently 
he  would  lead  them  from  these  tragic  scenes  into 
pleasant  pastures  and  by  still  waters  ;  and  lastly  in  some 
magnificent  climax  he  would  elevate  his  hearers  to  the 
highest  pitch  of  enthusiasm,  when  they  would  spon- 
taneously break  forth  in  loud  bursts  of  applause.  Thus 
through  all  the  shades  of  human  emotion  he  would  lead 
his  willing  audience,  calling  into  active  exercise  forces  of 
their  innermost  souls  that  lay  dormant  from  the  rust  of 
indifference  and  neglect.  Tears  would  trickle  down 
stony  cheeks,  and  stern  brows  soften  in  mirth.  Patriotic 
fires  did  he  cause  to  spring  up  in  young  men's  hearts, 
and  shrinking  maidens  to  animate  with  enthusiastic  zeal. 

In  early  life  he  visited  the  National  Capital,  in  the 
days  when  those  gigantic  characters— Webster,  Clay, 
Calhoun,  Corwin,  and  their  compeers,  were  moulding- 
American  history.  When  he  w^as  introduced  to  Mr. 
Webster  by  Judge  Badger,  the  former,  upon  beholding 
his  fine  face,  with  that  delineation  peculiar  to  him,  re- 
marked : — Why,  Judge,  1  thought  we  already  had  all 
the  sap  of  the  Old  North  State  in  the  persons  of  Mangum 
and  yourself,  but  I  see  1  was  mistaken. 


14 

Though  a  leader  of  the  people  he  was  more  like  an 
older  brother  than  a  demagogue  ;  a  politician  he  was  not 
ambitious,  for  he  sought  not  preferment  save  for  his  party; 
intellectual  he  was  not  pedantic.  Flattery  did  not  beget 
vanity  in  him,  nor  fanning  conceit.  His  mind  was  broad, 
philanthropic,   and  unselfish,  very  elastic  and   retentive. 

Perhaps  we  will  ask  ourselves — and  why  did  he  not 
achieve  greater  eminence  ?  Because  it  was  at  home  he 
sought  to  exercise  his  peculiar  gifts  among  his  friends 
and  neighbors.  Their  commendable  patronage  afforded 
adequate  satisfaction  for  his  efforts.  Nor  is  it  befitting 
in  us  to  depreciate  the  simplicity  of  his  motives,  for  an 
unselfish  use  of  one's  abilities  to  the  benefit  of  his  fellows 
has  always  been  regarded  as  the  highest  purpose  of  the 
human  mind. 

Emmanuel  Kant  was  such  a  one.  He  is  said  to  have 
lived  and  labored  as  a  professor  in  a  neighboring  college, 
as  a  philosopher  and  writer,  and  was  never  further  than 
an  hour's  ride  from  the  place  of  his  nativity  during  his 
whole  life. 

The  scope  and  compass  of  Mr.  Satterthwaite's  mind 
was  truly  great,  but  he  was  deficient  in  approbativeness 
and  ambition.  He  was  several  times  urged  by  his 
friends,  and  put  in  nomination  for  high  political  posts, 
but  with  modesty  each  time  declined. 

There  are  very  few  accessible  remnants  of  his  speeches, 
such  chiefly  as  were  printed  in  the  local  papers,  applicable 
to  particular  emergencies,  and  scarcely  suitable  here. 
They  were  the  enthusiastic  effusions  of  his  heart  that 
burst  forth  in  momentous  exigencies  and  needed  the 
ring  of  his  voice,  tlie  glow  of  his  brow  and  the  fervor  of 
his  presence  to  make  them  eloquent. 

It  was  at  the  bar  in  defence  of  the   oppressed  that  he 
reached  the  zenith  of  his  genius. 
»      "  In    Lord    Erskine's    famous   speech    for    Hadfield," 


reniarketl  Senator  Vance  in  his  eulogy  on  Judge  Jerre 
S.  Black,  "  one  of  the  very  few  speeches  at  the  bar  which 
has  been  "iven  by  common  consent  of  the  legal  world 
the  force  and  authority  of  an  adjudicated  case,  he  said  : 
'  The  scene  which  we  are  engaged  in,  and  the  duty  which 
I  am  not  merely  privileged,  but  appointed  to  perform  by 
authoritv  of  the  court,  exhibits  to  the  whole  ci\'ilized 
world  a  perjjctual  monument  to  our  national  justice. 
The  transaction,  indeed,  in  every  part  ol  itj  as  it  stands 
recorded  in  the  e\idence  already  before  us,  places  our 
country  and  its  government  and  its  inhabitants  upon  the 
highest  pinnacle  of  human  elevation.'  The  extraordinary 
scene  which  called  forth  this  remarkable  eulogy  was  the 
supreme  triumph  of  law  o\er  human  passion,  where  a 
poor,  obscure  and  friendless  man,  attempting  to  assassi- 
nate the  monarch  of  a  mighty  empire,  was  '  only  secured, 
without  injury  or  reproach,'  and  for  h's  trial  '  was  covered 
all  o\-er  with  the  armor  of  the  law  ! '  " 

It  will  be  readily  admitted  that  our  humane  laws 
under  which  perscnis  of  all  degrees  have  e(}ual  privileges 
and  justice,  constitute  the  chief  glory  of  this  people  and 
era.  Then  do  not  those,  who,  as  exponents  of  the  law, 
stand  firm  in  its  honorable  ministration,  represent  the 
urbanity  and  benignity  of  our  jurisprudence  ?  The 
sHghtest  comparison  of  the  wealth  and  contentment  of 
our  people  with  the  oppressed  of  Turkey  will  serve  to 
obviate  the  fact  that  security  under  the  law  is  the  prime 
inducement  to  haljits  of  industry  and  the  pursuits  of 
happiness. 

Mr.  Satterthwaite  may  truly  be  said  to  be  among  the 
number  of  those  who  espoused  the  cause  of  the  weak 
and  oppressed,  defending  them  against  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  more  powerful  and  selfish  with  all  the 
enthusiasm  of  his  soul. 

Vet  there  was  another  sphere  in  which    Mr.    Satterth- 


16 

waite  was  remarkable  ;  here  the  beauties  of  his  character 
were  most  resplendant ;  I  alkide  to  the  social  board. 
There  was  not  a  single  barrier  in  the  way  of  his  celebrity 
here.  He  was  the  very  personification  of  Southern 
hospitality.  His  home  was  your  home.  Every  man  in 
every  degree,  from  the  slave  in  the  kitchen  to  the  Gov- 
ernor in  his  palace,  was  welcome  there. 

No  courtier  had  more  grace  in  the  parlor  ;  no  states- 
man greater  dignity  ;  no  scholar  better  language  ! 

"  Den  while  de  white  folks  enjoyed  deselves 

In  de  ole  time  style, 

What  times  de  darkies  had 

Down  in  de  quarters  all  de  while  !  " 

He  was  a  genial  host,  a  thoughtful  parent,  a  kind 
master.  His  slaves,  his  family,  and  his  friends  were 
devoted  to  him. 

In  early  lile  he  attached  himself  to  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  aud  continued  in  her  membership  all 
his  life. 

The  following  letter  to  his  grandson  at  school  in 
Alabama  will  illustrate  very  largely  his  feelings  in  his 
latter  days,  and  serve  also  to  show  how  that  in  the  midst 
of  pressing  business  he  never  forgot  courtesies  to  his 
family  : 

Mv  Dear  Son, — Ever  since  your  letter  came  I  have 
been  very  busy  m  attendance  upon  the  Spring  Term  of 
our  Superior  Courts,  which  has  caused  my  delay ;  and 
withal  I  have  not  been  well,  and,  in  this  respect  am  little 
better  qualified  for  writing  to-day. 

There  is  a  most  wretched  cold  settled  on  my  lungs, 
producing  fever  and  constant  coughing,  so  that  it  alarms 
me.  But  the  Doctor  says  the  worst  is  over.  I  pray  God 
it  may  be  so.  It  is  well  for  you  to  learn  thus  early  that 
delays  are  dangerous. 

And  so  my  boy  has  not  forgotten  the  promise  he  made 


17 

when  his  onmdpa  kissed  him  and  S4avc  him  his  l)lessing 
on  the  steamer  !  I  often  think  of  you  and  wish  to  see 
you,  but  I  feel  that  it  is  for  your  gootl  that  you  are 
separated  from  us,  and  that  you  are  laying  the  founda- 
tions of  honor  and  usefulness  for  yourself,  and  of  pride 
and  pleasure  for  your  family  and  friends.  It  makes  the 
heart  of  your  old  grandfather  beat  with  delight  to  con- 
template his  little  grandson  an  honored,  influential,  and 
useful  member  of  Society.  *  '"''  '"''  ''" 
We  have  just  been  through  a  most  exciting  political  con- 
test. This  State  has  had  a  most  wonderful  revolution  in 
politics.  We  have  elected  seven  members  of  Congress 
out  of  eight,  and  four-fifths  of  both  branches  of  the 
Legislature. 

Give  my  kindest  regards  to  your  kind  teacher,  and 
rest  assured,  dear  son,  that  no  one  surpasses  grandpa  in 
desire  for  your  health  and  success  in  this  life,  and  eternal 
happiness  in  the  life  to  come.  God  bless  you,  my  dear 
boy.  Your  loving  old  Grand  Father, 

F.  B.  S . 

Washington.  JV.  C,  1874. 

It  will  be  seen  that  this  letter  was  written  the  Spring 
preceding  his  death.  He  never  was  of  a  robust  tempera- 
ment, but  for  some  months  preceeding  his  death  he 
seemed  to  be  in  bad  health  and  his  mind  somewhat 
gloomy,  with  forebodings  of  his  death. 

But  at  a  time,  and  in  a  manner  not  anticipated,  the 
grim  monster  met  him.  He  was  stricken  down  with 
apoplexy  on  his  way  from  his  office  to  his  house,  during 
the  Spring  Term  of  the  Superior  Court  in  Washington, 
March  23d,  1875. 

The  news  of  his  death  flashed  through  the  town,  and 
for  many  days  a  black  pall  seemed  to  be  spread  over  the 
whole  community  ;  the  people  mourned.     Upon  conven- 


18 

ing  a  day  was  spent  by  the  court  in  paying  fitting  tribute 
and  respect  to  his  memory.  Touching  addresses  were 
made  by  Judges  Rodman,  Reade,  Moore  and  Shepherd, 
Major  Sparrow,  and  others. 

He  was  buried  in  Trinity  Cemetery,  an  Episcopal 
burying  ground.  The  concourse  that  followed  his 
remains  to  their  last  resting  place  was  immense,  composed 
of  people  of  all  classes,  extending  a  long  way  over  the 
road  that  leads  through  the  wide  swamp  from  Washing- 
ton. Old  men  and  maidens,  young  men  and  matrons, 
judges  and  citizens,  rich  and  poor,  white  and  black,  all 
were  there,  united  in  one  common  grief,  for  one  common 
friend ! 

Only  a  few  weeks  before,  he  had  attended  in  that  ceme- 
tery the  burial  of  one  of  his  old  faithful  slaves — Carey. 
Many  white  persons  were  present,  and  when  the  last 
spade-full  of  earth  had  been  thrown  on  his  grave,  he 
raised  himself  up  from  his  revery  and  addressed  those 
who  had  come  to  honor  the  funeral  of  this  poor  negro. 
He  first  spoke  of  his  faithfulness  and  noble  example  ; 
then  of  the  precarious  tenure  we  have  on  life,  ending 
with  the  query — 'icho  should  be  next  f^  He  wept,  and  all 
wept;  it  was  a  solemn  day.  He  was  the  next.  If  we 
end  well  is  not  the  race  successful  ? 

Mr.  Satterthwaite  had  eleven  children,  only  three  ot 
whom  are  living.  His  first  child  and  only  daughter — 
Martha  Alice — the  pet  and  companion  of  his  early  years, 
is  the  wife  of  Joseph  B.  Stickney,  Esq.,  President  of  the 
Mutual  Benefit  and  Relief  Association  of  North  Carolina. 
His  two  sons,  Thomas  Henry  and  Fenner  Bryan,  li\'e  in 
Washington. 

Thk  Compiler. 


19 


SECOND  SKETCH. 


E\(."n  at  this  late  da>-  it  affords  me  a  melancholy 
pleasure  to  plac-e  a  twig  of  the  mournful  cypress  oxer  the 
^rave  of  the  lamented  F.  B.  Satterthwaite,  Esq.,  of  my 
native  county  of  Beaufort.  He  was  my  senior  by  many 
years,  but  as  I  was  born  and  raised  within  three  miles  of 
the  place  of  his  birth  and  raising,  at  Leachville,  earlier 
known  as  Log  House  Landing,  on  Pungo  river,  in  the 
county  of  Beaufort,  in  this  State,  perhaps  I  am  as  well 
acquainted  with  the  facts  and  history  of  his  early  life  as 
any  man  now  living. 

Possessed  of  that  native  genius  which  enabled  him  to 
become,  as  it  does  so  many  others,  the  architect  of  his 
own  fortune,  his  example  is  one  of  the  many  that,  to  a 
true  spirit,  early  poverty  and  difficulties  are  the  safest 
guide  and  surest  means  to  an  education  in  its  truest  and 
highest  sense.  His  father,  like  mine,  did  not  believe  in 
schools  any  further  than  they  taught  reading,  writing, 
and  arithmetic.  These  advantages  of  the  old  field 
school,  at  home,  were  all  that  the  son  ever  obtained  from 
any  educational  institution.  But  he  obtained  from  his 
parents,  what  no  school  or  college  can  give,  the  rich 
inheritance  of  a  sound  mind  in  a  sound  body. 

His  lather  was  a  farmer,  kept  his  children  at  home 
under  his  own  eye  and  care,  and  taught  them  to  work. 
Fenner  then  may  be  said  literally  to  have  had  no  school 
days  outside  of  the  education  of  the  plow -handles,  and 
the  usual  rugged  labor  of  active  farm -life.  Here  it  wa: 
that  his  industrious  parents  sowed  in  him  those  seeds  of 
industry,  self-reliance,  and  physical  development  and 
endurance  that  so  often  makes  home  education  superior 
to  that  of  the   schools   and   colleges,   and  which  gave 


20 

yoLing  Satterthwaite  a  preparatory  discipline  that  con- 
tributed greatly  to  his  success  in  after  life.  His  mother 
was  a  lady  of  superior  intellectual  power  and  of  much 
energy,  and  no  doubt  much  of  his  well-known  superiority 
of  mind  and  force  of  character  was  inherited  from  her, 
again  illustrating  that  a  man's  inheritance  is  most  potent 
upon  him  for  good  or  evil,  and  that  it  is  wiser  in  him  to 
marry  an  intelligent  and  healthy  wife  than  one  of  mere 
riches. 

Although  Mr.  Satterthwaite  was  raised  to  near  man- 
hood in  an  obscure,  illiterate  neighborhood,  where  and 
at  a  time  when  but  little  value  was  placed  upon  the 
education  of  the  highest  seminaries  of  learning,  his 
distinguished  success  in  after  life  illustrated  that  after  all 
the  environments  and  instruction  of  the  unwritten  system 
of  a  correct  and  intelligent  home  education  are,  in  very 
many  cases,  more  desirable  and  effectual  to  true  culture 
and  honorable  success  than  the  schools  furnish.  He  was 
early  taught  that  culpably  and  disastrously  neglected 
duty  of  parents  to  their  children  now-a-days,  of  obedi- 
ence, and  he  always  acknowledged,  with  gratitude,  that 
this  parental  duty  to  home  was  a  potent  factor  of  his 
success.  He  was  never  petted  or  spoiled  at  home  by  his 
fond  and  loving  parents,  as  are  so  many  children  in  these 
times,  both  at  home  and  in  school,  and  always  to  their 
injury,  but  was  subjected  to  that  home  discipline  which 
gave  him  the  spirit  of  self-reliance,  courage,  and  inde- 
pendence, as  he  went  forward,  with  a  brave  and  generous 
heart,  to  battle  with  the  poverty  and  trials  of  his  early 
manhood. 

Thus  prepared,  at  home,  his  instinctive  genius  and 
intuitive  love  of  knowledge,  enabled  hmi  the  more  easily 
to  triumph  over  difihculties,  and  to  pursue  with  more 
success  those  thorny  avenues  that  lead  to  distinction.  His 
early  thought  and    eager   love  of  knowledge  was  only 


21 

equaled  by  those  bright  exhibitions  of  intellect  that 
made  his  life  one  of  much  promise.  He  tle\oured  any- 
thing of  books  that  came  in  his  way.  His  hours  of 
relief  from  farm-labor  were  given  tt)  intellectual  pursuits. 
His  many  difficulties  in  this  line  gave  him  an  ambition 
that  crowned  him  with  success.  His  preference  for  the 
legal  profession,  as  he  grew  up,  was  in  some  degiee 
owing  to  the  example  and  impressions  upon  him  by  that 
great  and  good  man — ^Judge  William  Gaston. 

Private  travel  in  those  days  was  a  necessity  in  the  ex- 
treme east.  Judge  (iaston,  as  he  travelled  from  home  to 
and  from  Hyde  County  Courts,  always  stopped  at  night 
at  the  home  of  the  father  of  Mr.  Satterthwaite,  who  kept 
a  house  of  public  entertainment.  It  was  during  these 
occasiorns  that  judge  Gaston,  always  fond  of  children  and 
young  men,  became  well-acquainted  with  Mr.  Satterth- 
waite, and  saw  in  him  genius  and  promise.  The  Judge, 
with  his  big  heart,  extended  to  him  that  encouragement 
and  sympathy  which  acted  as  a  decided  stimulant,  and 
advised  him  to  become  a  lawyer.  The  advice  was  taken. 
He  broke  the  fetters  of  his  restraint  and  obscurity,  went 
forth  upon  more  inviting  fields,  and  steadily  developed 
to  commanding  positions. 

I  have  thus  given,  imperfectly  I  know,  some  of  the 
facts  of  his  boyhood  life.  I  do  so  the  more  readily 
because  he  and  I  were  both  born  and  reared  in  the  same 
dear  old  place,  known  as  Pungo,  in  licaufort  county, 
where  some  of  his,  and  my,  nearest  kindred  now  lie  in 
death  ;  no  spot  on  earth  is  nearer  or  dearer  to  me.  With 
a  true  heart,  warm  with  fond  memories  and  sacred  asso- 
ciations of  the  past,  I  can  say  of  this  hallowed  spot : 

"  Where'er  I  roam,  whatever  realms  to  see. 
My  heart,  untrammelled,  fondly  turns  to  thee." 

The  tender  feelings  and  sympathetic  tie?  that  cluster 
around,  and    intermingle  with  my  cherished  memory  of 


22 

this  endearing  locality  are  embalmed  in  the  grateful  ap- 
preciation that  here  his  parents  and  mine  gave  us  that 
home  teaching  and  \irtuous  instruction  and  love  of  State 
and  country  which,  in  the  blessed  line  of  inheritance  and 
good  example,  were  the  precious  seeds  of  whatever  good 
fruits  resulted  to  us  afterwards.  Good  home  teaching 
and  the  right  sort  of  a  mother  give  a  man  very  much 
after  all,  as  a  general  rule,  of  whatever  desirable  success 
he  attains.  No  man  values  more  the  advantages  of 
scholastic  training  and  collegiate  instruction  than  does 
the  writer  of  this  imperfect  sketch.  But  whether  such 
advantages  would  have  better  trained  his  mind  or  made 
him  more  useful  and  successful  than  this  home  discipline, 
and  the  necessities  of  this  subsequent  self-reliance  may 
well  be  questioned,  whether  in  reference  to  his  own  dis- 
tincti\-e  case  or  to  the  thousands  of  other  self-made  men 
so-called.  However  this  may  be,  it  is  probable  that  his 
early  environments,  necessities,  and  struggles,  combined 
with  omniverous  reading  from  early  boyhood,  gave  such 
development  to  his  genius  and  entire  organization,  added 
such  force  to  his  genial  manners,  generous  disposition, 
and  strong  will-power,  as  to  make  him  a  born  leader  of 
men. 

Certainly  they  were  most  potent  educational  factors, 
strong  and  wide  reaching  means  and  influences,  for  gi\ing 
him  that  knowledge  of  character  and  human  nature,  that 
readiness  and  fertility  of  resources,  that  success  in  his  pro- 
fession, that  force  and  energy  of  character,  social 
influence,  personal  magnetism,  apd  eloquence  of  speech, 
that  made  him  famous  and  placed  him  prominently  in  the 
ranks  of  eminent  North  Carolinians. 

S.  S.  SATCHWELL,  M.  D. 


23 


THIRD  SKETC{I. 


In  the  Convention  of  1861,  the  Secession  Con\ention 
of  our  State,  I  served  with  Mr.  Satterthwaite.  I  remem- 
ber well  his  face  and  attitude  as  he  sat  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  House.  Ik-  had  a  look  of  great  will-power, 
earnest  attention,  thoughtfulness  :  he  gave  every  speaker 
respectiul  attention,  and  every  measure  thorough  con- 
sideration. He  was  to  my  mind  the  most  imposing- 
looking  man  in  that  body  of  great  men.  He  spoke  sel- 
dom, but  when  he  arose  he  attracted  universal  attention. 
His  words,  emphasis,  Hash  of  his  dark  eye,  expression  of 
countenance,  gesticulations,  showed  earnestness,  intensity 
of  conviction,  eloquence.  Badger  &  Rufifin,  Graham 
and  Hrown,  Briggs  and  Rayner,  Gilmer  and  Edwards, 
and  many  other  great  men,  were  there,  but  none  com- 
manded more  respect  and  confidence  than  Satterthwaite. 

He  was  distinguished  by  calm  self-possession,  by  per- 
fect fearlessness,  by  scorn  of  the  acts  of  the  demagogue, 
by  looking  the  dangers  and  difficulties  of  those  dark 
hour's  unflinchingly  in  the  face.  He  contemptuously 
refused  to  follow  the  example  of  many,  who  endeavored 
to  bolster  up  their  own  courage  and  the  courage  of 
others  by  empty  boastings,  vain  threats,  epithets  abusive 
of  our  adversaries. 

He  feared  that  under  the  plea  of  military  necessity  the 
liberties  of  the  people  might  be  interferred  with.  His 
voice  and  vote  were  always  against  measures  which  in 
the  least  degree  had  a  tendency  -to  set  aside  or  impair 
the  free  action  of  the  courts,  trial  by  jury,  or  the  privilege 
of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  No  appeal  founded  on  the 
dangers  of  invasion,  the  necessity  of  replenishing  the 
army,  or   even  sympathy  for  our  soldiers  in   the  field, 


24 

could  move  him  a  hair's  breadth  in  the  direction  of  what 
he  considered  the  violation  of  the  civil  law. 

One  of  the  strongest  speeches  delivered  in  the  con- 
vention was  by  him  in  the  discussion  of  a  question  of  this 
nature  ; — an  ordinance  was  introduced  on  one  of  the  last 
days  of  a  session  allowing  North  Carolina  soldiers  to  vote 
for  all  civil  officers,  State  and  Confederate,  wherever  they 
might  be,  in  camp  or  on  the  battlefield,  in  barracks  or 
on  the  march,  within  the  limits  of  the  State  or  without, 
whether  volunteers  or  regulars,  whether  under  the 
orders  of  the  Governor  of  North  Carolina,  or  of  the 
President  of  the  Confederate  States.  No  ^  time  was 
allowed  ior  the  perfection  of  the  details  of  the  ordinance. 
Its  friends  insisted  on  an  immediate  vote,  relying  on  the 
universal  sympathy  for  our  gallant  boys,  and  on  the  un- 
popularity certain  to  accrue  to  its  opponents.  Badger, 
Graham  and  others  vainly  protested  against  hurrying 
through  a  measure  of  so  great  importance,  urging  the 
necessity  of  so  arranging  the  machinery  of  the  elections 
as  to  secure  a  fair  vote  and  prevent  the  undue,  influence 
of  the  officers  over  soldiers.  Satterthwaite  boldly  moved 
to  indefinitely  postpone  the  whole  question,  supporting 
his  motion  by  a  remarkably  clever,  eloquent  and  states- 
manlike argument.  The  majority  of  the  convention  had 
been  showing  much  impatience  of  debate,  but  his  earnest 
and  weighty  words  and  manner  compelled  attention.  All 
were  struck  with  the  evident  sincerity  of  his  belief,  and 
the  cogency  of  his  reasoning,  as  well  as  the  utter  disre- 
gard of  the  effect  of  his  action  on  his  personal  popularity. 
No  attempt  was  made  to  answer  him.  The  mere  sug- 
gestion that  it  would  be-  a  hardship  to  disfranchise  our 
brave  soldiers  while  they  were  periling  their  lives  for  the 
South  being  sufficient  to  defeat  his  motion  by  a  vote  of 
63  to  18.  But  among  those  18  were  Badger,  Dr. 
Boadnax,  N.  Edwards,  Colonel   Dennis   Ferrebee,    Gov. 


Grahain,  I'dimiiul  Jones,  Judge  Mitchell.  Rev.  William 
Pettign.w  Rayncr.  Chief  Justice  Ruffin,  R.  H.  Smith,  of 
Halifax,  and  Dr.  Speed,  some  of  the  most  thoughtful  and 
wise  men  in  the  convention.  The  only  ameiidnient 
alk)\vetl  was  to  have  the  election  held  by  three  free- 
holders of  the  company,  the  ordinance  as  proposed 
actually  giving  the  captain  the  sole  authority  in  this 
matter. 

KEMP  P.  BATTLE,  L.  L.  D. 
Prcsidctii  of    University  of  North  Carolina. 


P^OURTH  SKETCH. 


The  writer  of  this  imperfect  tribute  had  both  the  honor 
and  pleasuie  of  formino-  Mr.  Satterthwaite's  acquaintance 
at  a  time  and  period  in  the  history  of  Beaufort  county, 
when  it  required  more  than  ordinary  gifts  to  enjoy  a 
commanding  position  in  its  professional  and  poHtical  cir- 
cles, and  vet,  all  this  he  was  then  enjoying,  and  which  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  when  we  consider  the  magnetic 
features  of  his  noble  character,  which  we  now  propose  to 
do,  and  which,  we  think,  will  furnish  the  solution  of  his 
success.  And  first  we  are  to  consider  the  disadvantages 
of  his  earlv  life.  The  facilities  for  obtaining  an  education 
then  w^ere,  indeed,  \ery  limited.  The  "School  Master  had 
not  been  abroad,"  and  all  his  attendance  at  school  was 
about  six  months.  And  yet,  the  spirit  and  resolve  of  a 
noble  manhood  was  ablaze  within  him,  and  he  applied 
himself,  and  put  them  to  a  noble  use. 

The  result  of  his  close  application  to  his  books  and 
studies,  was  of  such  a  character,  that  in  a  few  years, 
his  knowledge  had  assumed  an  encyclopedic  range. 
Although  imperfectly  educated,  he  became  a  master 
practitioner  among  the  best  lawyers  of  the  state.  He 
also  became  familiar  with  English  literature.  So 
overflowing  were  his  stores,  that  the  writer  remembers 
with  grateful  pleasure,  as  no  doubt  do  hundreds  of 
others,  occasions,  when  he,  standing  up,  rearing  his 
noble  form,  burst  forth  in  an  outgush  of  eloquence, 
poetry,  history,  biograi)h)  ,  anecdote,  and  humor,  that 
would  wrap  us  all  in  enchantment,  and  make  us  teel  the 
potency  of  his  magic  wand.  Then  would  fcjllow  the 
questions  ;  7vhe7i,iuhere  and  hozv,  did  he  become  possessed 


of  such  woiulorlul  store  of  knowledge  and  iniprLssive 
power?  And  all  parted,  wondering,  sure  enough.  And 
yet,  in  after  years,  when  mature,  sober  thought  and 
reflection  followed,  it  was  no  difficult  task  to  answer,  for 
it  was  remembered,  that  with  him,  there  was  an  inherent 
power  both  to  a'/// and  to  do\  and  this,  necessa-ily,  leads 
us  to  consider,  as  standing  out  in  striking  contrast,  and 
l)old  relief  his  success  in  life.  If  what  h.is  been  already 
written  tie  true,  then,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  people 
of  his  county  should  have  drawn  him  out  from  the  com- 
parative seclusion  of  private  lite,  to  the  Council  Chambers 
of  his  nati\e  State.  During  his  legislative  career,  he 
maintained  his  political  integrity,  and  never  wavered 
from  the  path  of  duty  into  which  his  faith  and  convic- 
tions directed  him  ;  hence,  it  was  never  truly  said  of  him, 
that  he  proved  recreant  to  any  trust,  or  faithless  tn  the 
admiring  and  confiding  constituency  that  had  promoted 
him. 

An  incident  occurred,  during  his  sojourn  at  Raleigh, 
while  there  as  a  legislator,  that  most  happily  illustrates 
the  character  of  the  man.  A  young  man  had  married  a 
minor,  and  thereby,  had  forfeited  all  title  to  his  wife's 
estate,  legally  considered.  In  his  trouble,  he  memori- 
lized  the  Legislature  to  obtain  relief,  and  a  Hill  was 
enacted  for  that  pur[)ose,  and  which  found  in  iVIr.  S.  a 
war.n  and  successful  advocate.  The  young  man,  feeling 
his  indebtedness  to  him  for  its  success,  tendered  a  liberal 
comi:)ensation  for  his  services,  but  which  he  declined  ac- 
cepting, assigning  as  a  reason  that  he  did  no  nK)re  than 
his  duty  ;  that  to  receive  it.  would  be  both  inconsistent 
with,  and  in  violation,  of  his  convictions  of  what  consti- 
tuted political  integrity.  So  when  he  returned  to  his  home 
he  found  there  a  handsome  and  costly  old-fashioned  set 
of  girandoles,  sent  there  as  a  present  to  his  w  ife,  by  his 
generous  patron. 


He  was  both  patriot  and  sage.  He  loved  his  country, 
lier  laws  and  government,  and  knew  no  means  that  pro- 
posed the  abridgement  of  the  one,  and  the  violation  of  the 
other.  He  beliexed  our  government  was  a  sacred  com- 
pact, as  well  as  guarantee  of  civil  and  religious  liberty. 
Hence  he  did  not  embrace  secession,  but  when  the  war 
came  on,  although  he  had  time  and  again,  on  the  hustings, 
in  the  social  circles,  and  wherever  he  went,  given  no  un- 
certain sountl,  but  had  warned  and  besought  the  people, 
not  to  rush  madly  on,  to  the  result  that  followed  ;  he 
remained  with  them,  suffered  with  them,  and  at  last  died 
in  their  midst,  where  he  was  best  known  and  best  beloved. 
By  his  noble  manhood  he  had  endeared  himself  to  them, 
and  to-day  his  name,  Fennek  H.  Satterthwaite,  is 
indeed  a  "household  word." 

His  language  when  living,  was  :  "Thy  people  shall  be 
my  people  and  thy  God  shall  be  my  God." 

During  the  war  he  did,  all  he  could  toward  relieving 
the  sufterinvs  of  the  soldiers,  their  wives  and  children, 
and  was,  at  one  time,  one  of  Gov.  Vance's  counsellors 

In  the  Pierce  Presidential  Campaign,  he  was  Elector 
for  the  State  at  large  and  discharged  its  weighty  duties 
with  honor  and  success  ;  for  wherever  he  went  and 
addressed  the  people,  multitudes,  with  eager  eyes  and 
ears,  dwelt  upon  his  stirring  words,  and  some,  went  away, 
if  not  convinced,  yet  feeling,  that  they  had  heard  a  Rara 
Avis,  an  honest  politician. 

We  have  thus,  l)riefly,  considered  his  birth  and  public 
character,  and  now  invite  you,  as  we  change  the  scene,  to 
a  contemplation  of  his  social  and  domestic  traits.  At  the 
early  age  of  19  years  he  was  left  an  orphan,  upon  whom 
devolved  the  cares  of  a  large  family,  and  was  faithful  to 
them  in  every  sense.  When  only  20  years  ot  age,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Annie  Laughinghouse,  a  woman, 
who  for  more  than  40  years,  administered  to  his  comfort 


.»() 


fiiul  hapjiiiu'ss,  ami  in  vvliuin,  he  louiul  all  the  (Hialiiics 
that  CDiistitutc  a  taithful  and  devotfd  uite.  It  was  a 
inairiagt^  of  unselfish  love,  and  (iod  approved  and  blest 
them,  and  not  a  ripple  of  discordant  motion  marred  the 
peace  and  harmony  of  their  domestic  circle.  This  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at  cither  when  we  remember  the  genial 
spirit  of  the  man,  and  the  unselfish  sympathies  of  the 
devoted  wife,  and  his  benevolence. 

In  his  attractive  home,  surrounded  In  his  loved  ones, 
and  trieiuls  and  neighbors,  he  attended  to  'lis  agricultural 
and  professional  duties.  He  was  a  skillful  farmer  and  one 
ol  the  most  successful  lawyers  at  the  Washington   Har. 

As  a  young  lawyer  he  was  studious,  and  such  was  his 
success  in  the  selection  of  a  jury,  ih.it  it  was  said  of  him 
he  had  no  superior. 

His  knowledge  of  mankind  was  reallv  superior  to 
most  men  of  his  age,  and  his  conception  of  character,  as 
accurate  as  that  of  the  most  gifted  we  have  ever  known— 
that  of  Lavater  not  excepted. 

Always,  on  returning  home  from  his  important  duties. 
the  faithful  wife,  and  devoted  children,  gathered  arotmd 
him,  and  there  wjs  enjoyment  in  that  household,  .ind 
"why  ?"  Because  there  was  sunshine  in  his  face,  :.nd 
the  smile  of  unselfish  love  wreathed  his  lips,  and  dissi- 
pated and  dispersed  the  cloud  of  anxious  solicitude  from 
each  face,  and  gave  the  impress  of  his  genial  s])irit  to 
each  and  to  all. 

He  was  an  active  man,  and  of  lix-ely  temperament. 
He  was  fond  of  hunting,  and  often  exercised  himself  in 
in  that  way,  and  ne\er  so  cheerfully,  as  when  with  friends 
and  neighbors  in  jjursuit  o.'  game  or  in  the  family  circle 
with  them  around  him.  After  the  war  and  the  loss  of. 
much  property,  such  was  his  remarkable  equanimity 
that  he  was  wont  to  say  :  I  am  one  of  the  richest  men  in 
the  state.     I  am  a  good  farmer,  lawyer,  politician,  hunter 


30 

and  fisherman.     Having  these  several  occupations,  when 
I  am  tired  of  one  I  can  follow  the  other  just  as  I  please. 

He  was  generous  to  a  fault,  and  his  character  as  trans- 
parent as  glass.  To  see  the  man,  and  hear  him  speak, 
was  to  know  and  confide  in  him  at  once.  He  just  walked 
into  your  affections,  and  you  felt  like  bidding  him  enter. 
Once  on  the  cars  when  he,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  was 
en  route  to  Alabama  to  visit  his  married  daughter,  a 
young  man  entered  at  a  certain  point,  passed  down  the 
aisle,  looking  anxiously  into  the  faces  of  all  the  passen- 
gers. Presently  he  returned  and  approaching  Mr.  S. 
said — "Sir,  I  am  in  distress,  having  lost  my  money,  will 
you  let  me  have  ten  dollars.  I  have  some  friends  at  a 
station  not  far  ahead,  there  I  can  procure  the  funds  and 
return  your  money."  He  loaned  him  the  amount,  which 
was  promptly  returned.  "Well,"  said  Mr.  S.  "Why  did 
you  single  me  out  of  all  these  people  ?"  The  young 
man  responded — "Because,  when  I  beheld  your  face  I 
saw  benevolence  stamped  there  "  Yes,  it  was  stamped 
there. 

We  have  kept  in  reserve  and  now  propose  to  consider 
as  the  most  important  feature  of  his  character,  that  which 
should  shine  forth  more  prominently  in  the  character  ol 
our  public  men,  but,  alas  !  too  often  does  not.  It  is  this  : 
Fenner  B.  Satterthwaite  was  a  Christian.  Yes  !  thank 
( lod,  that  with  all  his  gifts  and  graces,  with  all  his  attrac- 
tions and  power  of  mind  and  character,  with  all  the  smiles 
of  worldlv  friends  and  associates,  with  all  the  glow  and 
glitter  of  political  honors,  he  remembered  his  Creator, 
and  gave  Him  his  noble  heart,  the  best  gift  of  his  richly 
endowed  manhood. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church — 
a  church  that  comes  down  to  us,  clothed  with  the  sanctity 
of  the  ages,  and  redolent  with  the  glorious  achievements 


31 

of  her  sainted  martyrs,  ^■es  !  He  was  a  believer,  anti 
continued  his  "  Faith  hy  his  works." 

Thus,  we  have  imperfectly  described  somethin.ii  of  the 
life,  character  and  work  of  this  oreat  and  good  man  :  but 
he  has  passed  away,  and  yet,  thank  (iod,  "  His  works  do 
follow  him." 

It  is  true,  his  body  slumbers  in  the  i^rave,  but  his  name 
and  memory  live  in  the  hearts  and  atTections  of  his  de- 
voted wife,  children,  friends  and  fellow  citizens,  and  when 
the  future  historian  shall  write  of  North  Carolina's  lifted 
sons,  the  name  of  F'enner  H.  Satterthwaite,  will  but  add 
brightness  and  beauty  to  its  galaxy,  and  its  splendor 
never  be  dimmed. 

It  is  true,  that  in  "  Gray's  Elegy,"  we  are  told  that— 

"  The  boast  of  heraldry,  the  pomp  of  power. 
And  all  tliat  beaut}',  all  that  wealth  e'er  gave, 
Await  alike  the  inevitable  hour  ; 
The  path  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 

But  in  his  case  it  will  be  ditierent.     Aye,  "  The  good 

that  a  man  does,  lives  after  //zw."     No  indeed  !  tar  from 

it.     Although  the  body  may  be  dissolved  into  its  primary 

element,  dust,  yet  sooner  or  later,  the  day  is  destined  to 

come,  when  reanimated  by  the  Spirit   of  Ciod,  it  shall 

spring  fresh  and  verdant  from  the  dust,  and  formed  anew, 

glorying  in  perennial  beauty,  it  shall  stand  before  God, 

and  hear  him  say:  "Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful 

servant,  thou  has  been  faithful  o\'er  a  few  things,  1   wil] 

make  thee  ruler  over  niany  things:  enter  thou  into  the 

joy  of  thy  Lord." 

T.   P.  RIGAUD, 

Pastor  Af.  E.  CliurclK   W'asfiiugton. 


FIFTH    SKETCH. 


In  the  summer  of  1852,  the  Whig  Convention  for  this 
Congressional  district,  then  embracing  both  Craven  and 
Beaufort  counties,  assembled  in  the  old  Court  House  in 
New  Berne,  which  stood  in  the  midst  of  the  intersection 
of  Broad  and  Middle  streets,  and  opened  one  of  the  most 
fiery  campaigns  which  ever  enthused  the  people  of  East- 
ern North  Carolina.  James  Bonner  Marsh,  the  father-in- 
law  of  the  writer,  an^l  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  reso- 
lute Whigs  of  Beaufort  county,  presided  o\er  that  body, 
Washington,  Bryan,  Donnell,  Warren  and  a  host  of  vet- 
eran politicians  adorned  the  ranks  of  the  assembly,  while 
Clark,  Carter,  Marsh,  and  other  brilliant  young  graduates 
of  Chapel  Hill,  Yale  and  Princton  first  flashed  before  the 
public  gaze  as  the  coming  men  of  a  latter  day.  The 
writer  can  never  forget  the  impression  which  that  enthu- 
siastic array  of  talent  made  upon  him.  Honored  by  the 
convention  by  being  appointed  with  Judge  Warren  as 
sub-elector  of  Beaufort  county,  we  stood  among  the 
hardest  fighters  and  most  determined  champions  of  that 
High  Protecti\'e  Tariff,  which  all  unseen  by  us  was  the 
turning  the  thews  and  sinews  of  the  North  into  iron  to 
crush  the  very  people  who  were  its  blind  advocates  at 
the  South. 

Out  of  the  shadows  of  that  vanquished  time  comes  one 
stalwart  form,  nobler  and  more  deserving  than  all  the 
rest,  the  Hon.  Fenner  B.  Satterthwaite,  who,  as  elector 
for  the  district  at  large,  bore  the  Whig  banner  with  un- 
faltering arm  through  that  fierce  and  important  contest. 
Can  the  young  men  of  that  day,  who  are  swiftly  becom- 
ing the  old  men  of  this,  forget  his  kingly  mein,  his  chiv- 


83 

alrous  manner  and  his  popular  address?  He  was  the 
\ery  model  of  a  canvasser  amono  the  people.  As  a 
speaker,  while  inferior  in  mental  culture  to  many  others, 
his  intellectual  resources  were  almost  inexhaustible.  His 
addresses  in  that  famous  Presidential  campaign  carried 
conviction  and  won  votes  in  every  precinct.  Full  ol 
anecdote,  sarcasm  and  repartee,  and  perxaded  by  passion 
and  limitless  enthusiasm,  they  were  uttered  by  a  voice 
deep,  earnest  and  impressi\  e,  which  never  failed  to  stir 
the  hearts  of  the  people. 

Out  of  the  dim  regions  of  that  distant  time  crowd 
upon  the  writer  the  pleasant  memories  of  his  departed 
friend.  How  polite,  warm-hearted  and  chivalrous  he  was. 
Once  at  Saratoga,  where  he  had  taken  his  only  daughter, 
between  whom  and  himself  there  was  a  very  devoted 
affection,  a  venerable  oentleman  from  Louisiana,  in  the 
midst  of  the  splendour  and  gayety  of  the  oreat  ball 
room,  was  treated  superciliously  by  several  beautiful 
women  present,  with  whom  he  politely  asked  to  dance, 
possibly  a  statel}'  minuet.  Satterthwaite  marking  the 
bad  manners  of  the  fair  women  from  a  distant  j)oint  in 
the  ball  room,  and  pit}  ing  the  stranger  whom  he  had 
never  seen  before,  but  knew  to  be  a  gentlemen,  led  his 
own  sweet  daughter  forward  and  requested  the  stranger 
to  honor  her  with  his  attendance  in  the  following  dance. 
The  scene  was  a  flash  of  light  in  obscure  places.  It  was 
one  of  those  difficult  things  which  to  him  always  came 
by  intuition,  And  it  is  haidly  necessary  to  say,  that  he 
won  a  friend  under  that  garrish  lamplight,  and  among 
those  silks  and  jewels,  who  never  forgot  him. 

How  a  great  political  festival  aroused  him,  and  how 
his  soul  in  great  waves  of  enthusiasm  flowed  into  it. 
After  Major  Veates  had  plucked  the  First  Congressional 
District  out  of  Radical  hands,  the  impetuous  \oters  of  that 
sterling  district  inaugurated  a  great  jubilee  in  the  town  of 


34 

Washington.  It  was  a  vast  concourse,  an  unsurpassed 
outpouring  of  Democrats.  The  most  beautiful  girls  in 
the  district,  richly  draped,  made  the  procession  like  an 
old  Roman  triumph.  Houses,  streets,  balconies,  tents 
and  fields,  were  thronged  with  people.  On  that  day  Sat- 
terthwaite  was  in  his  glory  His  patriotic  spirit  more 
than  that  of  any  other  had  evoked  and  elaborated  the 
matchless  success.  After  the  speaking  a  number  ol  his 
warm  personal  friends  sat  down  to  dinner  at  his  hospitable 
table.  Among  the  rest  was  the  gallant  Grimes,  whom  we 
then  saw  for  the  last  time.  The  genius  of  wit,  colloquial  fer- 
vor, party  friendship  and  courdy  hospitality  presided  over 
the  scene.  But  though  all  were  joyful,  all  were  hopeful, 
he  was  the  brightest  of  all  that  goodly  company. 

How  he  delighted  to  dispense  a  generous  hospitality 
at  his  own  home.  Successful  as  a  lawyer,  and  backed  by 
a  large  clientage,  he  always  had  money  to  make  friends 
and  even  strangers  plenteously  welcome  at  his  own  fire- 
side. His  house  was  his  castle,  but  it  was  also  the  abode 
of  every  comfort  and  pleasure  which  go  to  make  up  the 
sparkle  and  cheerful  fellowship  of  life.  A  man  entered 
through  his  door  as  into  the  Garden  of  Daphne  so  bril- 
liantly described  by  General  Wallace  in  his  masterly 
romance  of  th-  East.  Statues  and  pictures  there  were 
few,  and  none  of  the  florid  delights  which  overwhelm  the 
senses,  but  such  a  warmth  of  friendly  greeting,  such  a 
gleam  of  domestic  happiness,  such  a  luxury  of  generous 
entertainment,  that  his  mansion  was  made  to  shine  from 
cellar  to  garret  for  the  delectation  of  his  guest.  Alas  ! 
shall  we  see  ever  again  the  like  of  our  departed  friend, 
such  a  happy  union  of  high  and  noble  qualities  ? 

Among  all  the  members  of  the  Beaufort  County  Bar, 
in  those  old  days,  he  was,  in  the  writers  judgment,  the 
most  striking  figure.  There  were  possibly  better  lawyers 
in  the  modern  meaning  of  the  term.     There  were  better 


S5 

conveyances,  better  technical  scholars,  and  men  more 
learned  in  precedents  and  Supreme  Court  reports  But 
in  profound  knowledge  of  human  nature,  in  depicting  the 
moti\es  and  prejudices  of  witnesses,  and  before  a  jury, 
he  had  but  few  equals  in  his  day.  This  was  made  mani- 
fest in  the  famous  trial  of  Wash  Carawan.  The  latter  was 
a  Primatixe  Baptist  preacher,  who  murdered  a  school- 
teacher in  Hyde  county  from  jealousy.  The  crime  was 
deliberate,  surpassingly  cold  blooded,  and  surrounded  by 
the  most  dramatic  and  tragic  circumstances.  Never  was 
Eastern  North  Carolina  so  wildly  excited  over  a  criminal 
investigation.  The  case  was  removed  to  Beaufort  county, 
where  Bryan,  Donnell  and  Satterthwaith  appeared  for  the 
prisoner.  The  scene  from  first  to  last  was  worthy  the 
weird  genius  of  the  most  lurid  school  of  the  painters'  art. 
Satterthwaite's  management  of  the  jury  and  his  shrewd 
examination  of  the  witnesses,  and  his  masterly  appeals  to 
the  sympathies  and  passions  of  the  triers  of  the  cause, 
were  truly  an  inspiration  of  wonder.  The  prisoner  was 
lost,  and  perished  by  his  own  hand  in  the  court  room,  but 
his  defense  will  never  fade  from  the  annals  of  Pieaufort 
county. 

As  we  go  back  to  the  scenes  of  those  old  days,  the 
faces  of  the  dead  seem  to  rise  before  us  again.  They 
were  men  when  the  writer  was  but  a  boy.  But  what  a 
courtly  chivalrous  band  of  lawyers  they  were  How 
Satterthwaite  grasped  your  fingers  with  his  whole  hand. 
How  his  great,  warm  eyes  flashed  with  intelligenct;  and 
friendship.  And  how  this  enthusiasm  carried  everything 
before  it  in  the  political  and  social  circle.  But,  alas,  the 
rustling,  moaning  tide  has  swept  them  all  away. 

JOHN  S.   LON(i, 

Attorney  of  tlic  Ne7c  Berne  Bar. 


SIXTH   SKETCH. 


1  approach  the  subject  of  the  present  sketch  with  most 
unfeigned  diffidence.  "  'Tis  distance  lends  enchantment 
to  the  view"  with  men  as  well  as  mountains.  Tlie  close 
approach  and  microscopic  scanning  of  the  most  \irtuous 
character  discloses  unpleasing  irregularities,  which  the 
eye  of  the  remote  spectator  never  discovers.  My  close 
and  intimate  association  with  the  great  advocate  whose 
name  heads  this  article  I  regard  as  disqualifying  me  in 
some  degree  to  be  his  biographer.  In  drawing  the  life 
portrait  of  a  departed  contemporary,  I  cannot  felicitate 
myself  with  Lord  Campbell,  that  from  personal  observa- 
tion I  am  able  to  employ  those  "quick  alterations  of 
praise  and  censure,"  the  opportunity  for  which  caused 
him  to  esteem  Lord  Lyndhurst,  such  a  noble  subject 
for  his  pen.  Having  said  this  much,  I  hasten,  from  fear 
of  misapprehension,  to  protest  that  the  failings  at  which 
I  have  hinted,  w^ere  by  no  means  of  that  sable  tincture 
which  would  discolor  an  otherwise  unstained  record. 
They  grow  out  of  a  generous  nature,  and  were  such  as  a 
desire  to  be  gracious,  kind  and  agreeable  to  all  classes 
and  characters,  a  somewhat  undiscriminating  liberality, 
and  an  obviousness  to  the  faults  and  incapacities  of  all 
who  loved  him,  followed  by  a  correspondent  desire  to  ad- 
vance their  interests  and  aspirations,  and  an  impatience 
of  opposition  from  those  who  regarded  his  favorites  with 
other,  if  not  clearer,  vision.  But  surely  these  w^ere  amiable 
weeknesses,  for,  as  Burns  has  beautifully  said  of  another. 


"Yet  the  light  tliat  k'd  astraj' 

was  light  from  heaven." 

The  great  Scotch   biographer  of  his   predecessors  in 


37 

"the  iiiarhlc  rh.iir"  has  torcihly  observed,  that  histinians 
ol  his  ck'scriptiiin  '^(jnerally  make  it  e(iually  reilouiid  to 
the  credit  of  their  hero  whether  he  be  of  iUustrious  or 
hiinil)le  |)areiUam',  saymv^'  with  the  same  complacency, 
'he  was  the  wortliy  decendeiit  oi  a  ion^-  hue  of  ilhistrious 
ancestors,  or,  'he  raised  himself  by  his  talent,  beiiii;  the 
tirst  ol  his  race  e\er  kiKnvn  to  fame."  'I  hou^h,  so  far  as 
I  .1111  aware,  Mr.  Salterthwaite  was  the  first  of  his  family 
that  e\er  </<7//V'7Y(/ distinction,  and  as  the  capricious  arbi- 
trrss  «)t  tortune  ni.uiifested  no  disjjosition  to  thrnsi  it 
upon  his  ancestors,  they  were  content  to  deserve  it  (feel- 
ing; with  tlu^  widow  Melnotte  thai  this  "was  almost  as 
jjood")  and  to  lea\'e  a  decendent  who,  if  not  born  great, 
was  "fashioned  to  much  honor  from  his  cradle."  Nature 
had  bestowed  upon  him  a  vigorous  constitution  an  ath- 
letic and  symetrit  al  physique,  engaging  features,  and  an 
active,  robust  and  comprehensive  intellect.  His  early  ed- 
ucation was  sadly  defective,  a  misfortune  which  he  never 
ceased  to  appreciate  and  deplore,  but  which  the  applica- 
tion and  obser\ation  of  later  years  repaired  to  a  degree 
which  was  almost  marxelous.  He  ne\er  became  a  scholar 
or  a  learned  lawyer,  but  it  was  the  admiration  of  all  be- 
holders to  witness  the  adroit,  the  overwhelming  employ- 
ment of  the  resources  at  his  command.  To  recall  the 
paucity  of  his  educational  acquirements,  and  then  to  see 
him  engage  on  equal  terms,  and  often  victoriously,  with 
such  "  li\ing  oracles  "  of  the  law  as  Rodman  and  Warren, 
was  to  revive  the  memory  of  Miltiades  and  his  little  band 
hurling  back  the  i'ersian  myriads  on  the  plain  of  "gray 
old  Marathon."  As  Mr.  Satterthwaite  grew  from  boyhood 
to  manhood,  stronger  and  other  more  attractive  attributes 
were  developed.  His  voice  became  attuned  to  every  note 
in  the  gamut  of  human  emotion.  In  characterizing  the 
oratory  ol  our  "  forest  born  Demosthenes,"  I  incur,  if 
possible,  less  risk  of  exaggeration  than  was  hazarded  by 


38 

Wirt  when  he  wrote  ol  Henry,  "  his  voice  in  mild  persua- 
sion was  soft  and  gentle  aa  the  zephyr  of  spring,  while  in 
rousing-  his  countrymen  the  winter  storm  that  roars  along 
the  troubled  Baltic  was  not  more  awfully  sublime.  Every 
look,  every  motion,  every  pause,  every  start,  was  com- 
pletely filled  and  dilated  by  the  thought  which  he  was 
uttering,  and  seemed,  indeed,  to  form  a  part  of  the  thought 
itself"  As  often  as  I  miss  the  touch  of  that  vanished 
hand  and  the  sound  of  a  \oice  that  is  still,  so  often  am  I 
reminded  of  the  likeness  of  those  melodious  accents  to 
the  tones  of  some  exquisitely  tempered  bell.  It  Edgar 
Poe  had  stood  by  him  in  some  hour  of  supreme  effort  to 
stir  men's  souls,  and  caught  his  varyii^^g  accents,  as  mer- 
riment moved,  or  tenderness  inspired,  or  indignation 
roused,  or  pathos  deepened  into  grief,  he  would  have 
heard  alternately  the  crystaline  tinkling  of  his  silver  sleigh 
bells  :  the  molten,  golden  notes  of  his  mellow  wedding- 
bells  ;  the  clang  and  clash,  and  roar  of  the  loud  alarm 
bells  ;  and  the  melancholy  menace  of  those  dread,  spirit- 
rung  harbingers  of  the  midnight,  which, 
"*  *  *  Tolling,  tolling,  tolling. 

In  that  muffled  monotone, 

Feel  a  glory  in  so  rolling 

On  the  human  heart  a  stone."' 

A  large,  flexible  mouth,  eyes  full  and  bright  and  deep, 
and  often  inexpressibly  sad  of  expression,  which  could 
beam  an  epigram  or  look  an  elegy,  augmented  the  sum 
of  his  wonderful  gifts.  The  delineation  is  complete  when 
we  add  to  these  a  dauntless  but  quiet  courage,  which 
shrank  from  no  peril,  but  disdained  all  petty  occasions  of 
display,  so  that  n-iany  a  bullying  poltroon  with  "  a  kill- 
and-eat-him  countenance,"  mistaking  forbearance  tor 
timidity,  was  tempted  to  offend  hini  irretrievably  far  be- 
fore discovering  his  error  and  danger.  As  an  advocate, 
"  exceeding  wise,  fair  spoken  and  persuading,"  he  was  the 


Sir  Janifs  Scarlett  ol  tlu-  Xnrtli  ("aroliiia  Bar,  the  "greatest 
lort-nsic  orator  and  the  greatest  wiiinrr  ot  xcrdicts.  I 
firmly  proiKiuiK-e,  that  1  have  e\  er  known.  ICndovvcd 
with  ihr  powers  I  ha\e  nuntioned,  a  consnmmate  jiidt^e 
ot  human  nature,  and  jiiaeed  by  the  \ery  defects  of  his 
education  I'n  rapport  witli  the  jury,  whose  nu)des  of 
tlioui^lit  were  his  nwii,  his  im])erfections  tliemselxes  came 
to  his  aid,  as  did  tho.se  o!  Henry  Clay  when  he  mo\ed  so 
niarvelously  the  people  oS.  a  Continen.t.  ( ioethe  has  wisely 
said  til, it  tlierc  is  ndthini;  more  sitinifuanl  of  nien's  char- 
acter than  w  hat  they  consider  laughable,  but  as  true  it  is 
that  there  is  no  better  test  of  men's  discernment  than  their 
power  lo  juds^e  what  others  will  laugh  at.  Wiser  than 
Ciuethe  was  Napoleon  when  he  said  that  there  is  but  one 
step  from  the  sublime  to  ihc  lidiculous.  Instance  Hurke's 
"dagger  scene,"  pilloried  in  ridicule,  and  Brougham's 
kneeling  act  in  the  Lord's,  embalmed  in  contemj)!.  But 
once  I  saw  Mr.  Satterthwaite  excel  these  masters.  .A 
newly  imported  Irishman,  with  an  utterly  unexpurgated 
brogue,  had  gi\en  important  testimony  against  his.  client. 
In  cross-examination  Mr.  Satterthwaite  began  a  perfect 
imitation  in  tone  and  accent,  and  echoed  every  word  elici- 
ted, from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  the  judge  not  inter- 
rupting, and  the  jury  and  spectators  coun  ulsed  with  laugh- 
ter— with  what  fa\orable  result  to  the  counsel  may  be 
well  surmised  !  In  describing  Mr.  Satterthwaite  as  a  man 
before  the  pul)lic,  I  ha\e  not  scrupled  to  point  out  his  de- 
tects, confident  that  such  a  course  will  redound  more  to  his 
honor  than  an  undiscriminating  panegyric,  which  would 
throw  suspicion  upon  e\  en  the  just  praise  of  his  virtues.  I 
now  gladly  turn  to  a  sphere  where  even  the  mildest  censure 
can  find  no  place.  .-//  home,  it  seems  to  me  that  he  was 
nearly  all  that  man  could  desire.  A  kind,  indulgent, 
thoughtful,  unselfish  husband,  father,  master  and  host,  he 
was  the  very  eml)(jdiment  of  domestic  \-irtue.     His  large- 


40 

ness  to  religion  and  charity  took  dimensions  rather  from  his 
heart  than  from  his  purse.  More  than  once  on  a  stormy 
waiter's  day  have  I  seen  him  open  his  pocket-book  for 
wood  sent  by  his  order  to  all  the  destitute  of  the  town  of 
Washing^ton.  Now,  that  he  has  gone,  let  us  hope  that  he 
realized  in  life's  last  struggle  the  truth  of  the  sweet  words 
of  simple  Jeanie  FJeans,  that  "  when  the  hour  of  trouble 
comes  to  the  mind,  or  the  body,  and  when  the  hour 
of  death  comes — that  comes  to  high  and  low — then  it 
isna  what  we  have  dune  for  oursels,  but  what  we  hae 
dune  for  others,  that  we  think  an  maist  pleasantly." 

.    HUGH  F.  MURRAY, 

Attorney  of  the   Wilson  Bar, 


SEVENTH  SKETCH. 


The  recent  sad  announcement  of  the  death  of  this  dis- 
tin^iiiished  North  Carolinian,  sorrows  many  a  heart  outside 
of  tlie  noble  old  county  of  Beaufort,  which  he  served  so 
faithfully  and  loved  so  well.  The  eloquent  and  appro- 
priate eulogies  of  Major  Sparrow  and  Mr.  Shepherd,  and 
of  Judges  Reade,  Moore  and  Rodman,  find  melancholy  en- 
dorsement and  a  reponsi\  e  echo  in  the  judgment  and 
mournful  sensibilities  of  thousands  of  the  best  men  and 
leading  cities  all  owy  the  State  to  which  he  had  dedica- 
ted so  many  years  of  his  useful  life.  .A  gentleman  of  his 
glowing  geniality  and  unbounded  hospitality  never  fails  to 
win  admiration  and  make  trieiids  wherever  he  goes.  The 
testimony  given  in  his  own  home,  and  by  these  accomp- 
lished and  eminent  meml:)ers  aforesaid  of  the  legal  profes- 
sion, of  his  talents,  generosity,  legal  abilities  as  an  advo- 
cate, and  high  social  and  domestic  virtues,  is  but  the  cor- 
roborative evidence  of  his  life  and  character  now  given 
in  every  section  of  Morth  Carolina,  where  he  was  known 
and  justly  appreciated.  The  reputation  and  usefulness 
ot  such  a  man  cannot  be  confined  to  any  county  or  dis- 
trict in  which  he  practiced  law  with  so  much  skiil  and 
success.  His  name  was  a  household  word,  as  it  were,  all 
over  the  State,  wherever  law  and  politics  were  discussed, 
and  his  public  services  and  private  worth  will  constitute 
an  integral  part  of  those  accumulated  and  accumulating 
materials  to  be  used  by  the  histor  an  of  the  State  as  he 
erects  oilr  monumental  pile  of  patriotic  service,  pride, 
and  glory  of  North  Carolina.  Not  only  then  has  our 
beloved  old  Beaufort  lost  one  of  her  most  devoted  chil- 
dren and  brightest  ornaments,  but  the  State  at  large  one 
of  her  leading  and  largest  hearted  citizens. 

4 


4-J 

"Him  wc  all  ni<nini,  his  frieiids  still  heave  the  sigh, 

And  still  the  tear  stands  trembling  in  the  eye, 

?Iis  was  each  mihi,  each  amiable  art. 

The  gentlest  manners  and  the  feeling  heart, 

Fair,  simple  truth,  benevolence  to  all, 

A  generous  warmth  that  glowed  at  friendship's  call." 

Mr.  Satterthwaite  was  mainly  known  as  a  lawyer,  legis- 
lator, and  an  eloquent  political  speaker.  Others  there 
are  who  knew  him  in  his  younger  years  as  one  of  the 
most  successful  farmers  also  in  his  section  of  the  State. 
In  agricultural  enterprise  and  devot'on  to  internal  im- 
provements and  material  progress,  he  has  an  enduring 
and  enviable  record  not  to  be  forgotten  by  those  who 
would  chersh  his  memory  and  virtues  and  hold  up  his 
illustrious  car  er  of  triumph  over  early  difficulties  to  the 
struggling  youth  of  the  State.  His  fondness  for  rural 
life  and  for  hunting  and  his  proverbial  skill  in  the  chase 
and  in  gunning  afforded  him  that  relaxation  from  severe 
profess'onal  h.bor  so  necessary  for  the  mind  and  body  of 
those  who  would  ascend  "the  steep  where  fame's  proud 
temple  shines  afar."  The  most  eminent  men  in  Europe 
and  America  this  clay  are  those  who  seek  and  have  a 
craving  for  country  life  and  for  those  manly  sports  of 
field  and  forest  so  conducive  to  thought  and  the  highest 
order  of  de\elopment  and  usefulness. 

Mr.  Satterthwaite  was  born  and  raised  in  that  hallowed 
old  Pungo,  which,  embracing  the  regions  of  Pantego  and 
Leachville,  constitutes  the  garden  spot  of  the  illustrious 
county  of  I^eaufort.  No  section  of  the  State  is  more  at- 
tractive in  fertile  lands  and  other  natural  resources  and 
advantages  than  this  same  old  Pungo. 

Equally  does  history  prove  that  her  generous  soil  and 
atmosphere  are  most  favorable  td  the  production  of  talent, 
genius,  patriotism,  and  self-reliant  useful  men,  and  noble 
women.  Some  of  those  who  have  added  endurmg  lustre 
to  the  Bar,  to  the  Councils  of  State,  and  to  other  pursuits, 


43 

were  born  and  raised  in  the  lower  part  of  Beaufort.  1  he 
names  of  WiUiam  Ch\rk,  Esq..  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Latham, 
Hon.  Henry  S.  Clark,  more  recendy  of  Samuel  Windley, 
and  later  still  of  F.  B.  Satterthwaite,  are  prominent 
among  the  noted  dead  who  richly  iidd  to  the  well  earned 
tame  of  this  cherished  region.  It  is  true  that,  in  scan- 
ning with  proud  remembrance  the  merits  and  virtues  o^ 
those  and  others  of  her  prominent  sons,  living  and  dead, 
we  are  reminded  of  the  solemn  truth,  that,  "the  paths  of 
glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 

To  Pungo,  o  the  whole  of  Beaufort  county,  will  the 
fond  hearts  of  native  sons  turn  up  and  cling  with  an  at- 
tachment undiminished,  and  with  an  ardor  of  love  and 
tenderness  of  affection  unchanged,  so  long  as  the  waters 
of  Tar  and  Pamlico  shall  flow  to  their  ocean  bed.  and  so 
long  as  a  single  pine  tree  in  her  abundant  forests  shall 
remain  to  wave  its  evergreen  foliage  to  the  impendmg 
storm. 

S.  S.  SATCllVVELL,  M.  D.,  Pcyidcr  County. 


I':iGHTH  SKETCH. 


Again  we  arc  called  upon  to  chronicle  the  death  of  one 
of  our  oldest  and  most  prominent  citizens.  Pinner  B. 
Satterthwaite  is  no  more.  On  Tuesday  evening  last, 
while  returnin'4  iro.ri  his  office  to  his  residence,  he  was 
stricken  down  l.y  apoplexy.  lie  was  borne  insensible 
to  his  home,  and  between  9  and  10  o'clock  quietly 
breathed  liis  last.  The  unremitting  attentions  of  his 
family  and  friends,  and  the  most  strenuous  efforts  of  his 
physicians,  av;iiled  nothing  in  warding  oft"  the  sudden 
and  ine\  it  ble  blow.  The  news  of  his  death  flashed 
through  the  town  like  an  electric  shock,  and  scores  of  anx- 
ious friends  flocked  to  his  residence  to  ascertain,  alas  !  the 
truth  of  the  dread  reality. 

r-^nner  15.  Satterthwaite  was  an  extraordinary  man. 
His  career  has  been  a  remarkable  one,  and  the  history 
of  his  life  a  vivid  illustration  of  the  proverb,  that,  "every 
man  is  the  artificer  of  his  own  fortune."  Mr.  Satterth- 
waite, at  die  time  ot  his  death,  was  entering  upon  his 
62. id  year,  having  been  born  near  Leachville,  Beaufort 
couiitv,  on  the  6th  of  October,  18 13.  He  enjoyed  none 
of  the  ad\antages  t)f  an  early  education:  and  only  six 
months  attendance  at  a  country  school  furnished  the 
humble  corner-stone  on  which  w;  s  reared  the  future 
reputation  ot  the  fluent   orator  and    siiccesstul   advocate. 

At  the  age  oi  19  he  was  lett  an  orphan,  upon  whom 
devolved  the  entire  care  of  a  large  family.  In  duty  and 
devotion  to  them  he  never  failed.  When  tw'cnty  years 
of  age,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  Laugh- 
inghouse,  a  lady  whose  ;'ttractive  virtues  and  womanly 
characteristics  have,  for  more  than   forty  vears,  cheered 


4:> 

and  siistainctl  \vu\  in  sunshine  ami  in  storm.  In  1836, 
a  nu'inher  of  the  Legislature  from  Beaufort  county, 
though  only  23  years  of  aye,  he  distinguished  himself  as 
a  faithful  representative  and  proved  an  earnest  friend  ol 
the  people.  In  1839  he  settled  on  his  farm  in  Pitt 
county,  devoting  himself  to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  and 
the  prosecution  of  such  a  course  of  study  as  he  deemed 
best  calculated  to  develop  and  realize  the  glowing  aspi- 
rations throbbing  within  his  breast. 

In  1842  he  became  a  law  student  in  the  office  of  John 
S.  Hawks,  Esq.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in    1843. 
He  was  ambitious  of  political  distinction,  and   early   in 
life    had  attached   himself  to  the  old   Whig   Party.     A 
more  zealous  champion  never  entered  the  political  arena. 
Through  the  most  heated  contests  of  party  strife,  extend- 
ing through  a  long  period  ot  years,  he  shone  conspicuous 
among   the   bright   galaxy   of   memorable   men,  whose 
energy  and   eloquence  at  that   time  enforced  and  illus- 
trated the  principles  of  that  great  party.    He  was  elected 
from  the  county  of  Pitt  to  the   Legislature  of  1848-49. 
His  services  in  that  Legislature  have  not  been  forgotten. 
His  reputation  as  a  ready  debater  was  established,  and 
he  was  recognized  both  by  partizans  and  opponents  n.'^  a 
prominent  member  of  that  honorable  body.     Pi  is  adroit- 
ness, tact  and  quick  appreciation  of  important  mea.^iu-es 
gave  him  rank  among  the  fust  party  leaders  in  the  state. 
His  services  as  Elector  in  the  presidential   campaign  of 
Scott  and  Pierce  brought  him   more  prominently  before 
the  people,  and  added  to  his  celebrity  as  a  public  speaker. 
So  satisfactory  had  been  his  political  record  in  his  legis- 
lative career,  that  in  the  troublesome  times  of  1861  he 
was  made  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention — 
and  again  in  the  Convention   of  1865.     During  the  war 
he  served  with  honorable  distinction  as  one  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  Gov.  Vance,  availing  himself,  while  in  that  position, 


46 

of  every  opportunity  to  administer  to  the  wants  and 
necessities  of  the  oppressed  people  of  Eastern  North 
Carolina. 

While  reaping  these  public  honors,  Mr.  Satterthwaite 
was  by  no  means  neglectful  of  professional  advancement. 
From  the  people,  luith  the  people,  and  for  the  people,  he 
knew  thoroughly  the  throbbing  of  the  popular  heart,  and 
entered  into  all  their  sympathies.  On  this  was  based  his 
great  professional  success.  As  a  jury  lawyer  he  had  few 
equals  ;  in  the  selection  of  a  jury  he  had  no  superior. 
His  knowledge  of  human  nature  had  been  learned  in  a 
rough  school,  and  he  applied  it  with  masterly  success. 
As  a  speaker  he  was  earnest,  fluent  and  impressive,  and 
never  failed  to  command  attention.  To  say  that  his  life 
was  a  success,  is  scarcely  domg  full  justice  to  his  achieve- 
ments, when  we  consider  the  narrow  means,  the  defects 
of  education  and  the  many  formidable  barriers  which 
hedged  in  the  efforts  of  his  early  days. 

But,  aside  from  the  turmoils  of  the  law  and  the  strife  of 
politics,  Mr.  Satterthwaite  was  remarkable  in  a  different 
sphere.  In  the  quiet  shades  of  private  life  his  virtues 
beamed  forth,  a  joy  to  his  family  and  a  solace  to  his 
friends.  He  was  an  useful  citizen  and  an  excellent 
neighbor.  Social  by  nature,  he  was  eminently  a  domes- 
tic man,  and  his  genial  disposition  gave  charm  to  the 
open-handed  unostentatious  hospitality  which  character- 
ized his  home.  No  father  could  be  more  devoted;  no 
husband  more  affectionate.  Active  in  works  of  benev- 
olence and  charity,  he  was  ever  ready  to  take  by  the 
hand  any  young  man  struggling  to  climb  the  rugged  hill 
of  life,  and  extend  to  him  substantial  aid  and  sympathy. 
Such  was  the  friend  whose  untimely  loss  we  deplore. 

Whatever  may  have  been  his  laults,  the  memory  of  his 
many  noble  traits  l)uries  them  in  oblivion  forever.  For 
years  prior  to  his  death  he  had  been  a  member  of  the 


Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  \>y  the  interest  evinced 
in  her  ministrations,  insjjires  us  with  the  cheering  bcHef 
that  "his  works  had  not  been  in  vain." 

"Hoiu"  looks  bL'Voiui  tlie  bounds  of  time, 

tVhen  wliat  we  imw  deplore. 
Shall  rise  in  Cull  immortal  prime. 

And  bloom  to  fade  no  more." 

D.  T.  TAYLOR,  M.  D., 

Washington,  N.  C. 


SATTERTHWAITE  AS  LAWYER  AND  ORATOR. 


Nothing  affords  me  greater  pleasure  than  to  recall  the 
days  of  my  association  with  the  Hon.  Fenner  Bryan 
Satterthwaite.  Some  of  the  dearest  memories  of  my  life 
cling  round  his  venerated  name.  Clanmi  ct  vcnerabiJe 
vomen. 

My  earliest  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Satterthwaite  began 
during  the  war  at  his  country  residence — veritably  a 
haven  of  delight  to  all  who  visited  it — at  which  he  dis- 
pensed a  hospitality  as  broad  as  his  own  generous  nature. 

Although  then  a  mere  lad,  Mr.  Satterthwaite  made  a 
very  great  impression  upon  me.  His  courtly  urbanity, 
his  frank  and  generous  kindness,  and  his  vigilant  care  for 
the  pleasure  and  comfort  of  those  about  him,  were 
extended  to  me,  a  mere  youth,  as  well  as  to  the  most 
distinguished  visitors  whom  he  received.  As  a  boy,  I 
intuitively  regarded  him  as  a  very  unusual  man.  The 
experienced  judgment  of  manhood  convinced  me  of  the 
correctness  of  my  boyish  impression. 

After  I  came  to  the  Bar  I  formed«an  association  m  the 
l)iactice  of  the  law  with  him,  which  was  severed  only  by 
his  death  ;  and  it  was  during  that  intimate  association 
that  I  learned  fully  to  comprehend  and  appreciate  his 
noble  nature  and  great  intellectual  endowments.  I 
thought  at  that  time  that  nature  had  made  Mr.  Satterth- 
waite an  extraordinary  lawyer;  and  had  he  been  a  close 
student,  I  doubt  if  any  of  the  eminent  legal  minds  who 
have  illustrated  and  adorned  the  Judicial  History  of 
North  Carolina,  would  much  have  surpassed  him. 
Maturer  years  and  more  extended  practice  and  exper- 
ience have  not  madv'  any  change  in  that  opinion. 


49 

He  possessed  some  faculties  in  the  hitji^hest  deq^ree  that 
go  to  make  up  a  ^reat  lawyer,  practitioner  and  advocate. 
He  was  endowed  with  reason! ntj  faculties  of  high 
order,  and  a  power  of  analysis  that  enabled  him  to  pre- 
sent the  facts  of  a  case  to  a  jury  with  smgular  force.  He 
was  gifted  with  a  command  of  language,  extraordinary, 
that  enabled  him  to  convey  his  thoughts  with  the  utmost 
ease  and  power.  His  words  were  simple,  direct  and 
persuasi\e,  and  his  utterance  was  singularly  free  and 
bold-  He  came  from  the  "people  "'  he  was  raised  with 
them  and  he  knew  the  methods,  the  arguments  and  illus- 
trations that  would  affect  an  ordinary  jury  ;  and  he  used 
them  with  the  rarest  skill  and  accomplished  unusual 
success.  As  a  yiisi  prins  lawyer,  I  e.xpect  he  had  few 
equals  and  no  superiors  in  this  state. 

He  was  gifted  with  a  memory  almost  extraordinary  in 
iis  breadth,  compass  and  retentiveness.  I  am  sure  that 
he  never  put  a  burden  upon  it  that  it  did  not  bear  with 
the  utmost  ease  ;  and  he  never  made  a  draft  upon  it 
that  was  not  prompth'  honored.  I  have  seen  him  engage 
in  a  trial  lasting  days,  and  never  take  a  note,  and  yet 
repeat  the  entire  evidence  with  striking  accuracy  and 
minuteness.  In  this  respect  he  was  the  most  remarKable 
man  1  ever  knew.  His  perceptive  iaculties  were  on  a  par 
with  his  others.  He  was  very  quick  to  see  a  point  and 
acted  promptly — he  was  full  of  mental  resources  and  it 
was  a  common  saying  among  lavtyers  that  "you  might 
trip  Uncle  Sat.  up  whenever  you  could  and  he  would 
always  catch  on  his  feet." 

He  seemed  to  have  wonderful  facility  for  acquirmg  law, 
though  he  studied  but  little  out  of  books.  He  would 
garner  up  the  labors  of  other  law'yers  with  remarkable 
ease  and  appropriate  them  to  his  own  use  and  was  always 
judicious  in  applying  what  he  acquired. 

He  seemed  to  have  legal  intuitions  and  must  ha\  e  been 


gifted  in  a  high  degree  with  what  is  called  a  'legal 
mind." 

His  voice  was  a  fit  instrument  for  such  an  intellect — 
rounded,  deep,  full,  melodious  ;  I  think  I  can  hear  its 
magnetic  tones  now  sounding  down  the  lapse  of  years. 

As  a  political  speaker  I  think  Mr.  Satterthwaite  was 
one  of  the  most  effective  I  ever  heard.  His  felicity  of 
expression,  large  power  of  comparison  and  illustration, 
genial  humor  and  voice  so  rich  with  melody,  made  him 
a  commanding  power  on  the  "stump,"  the  great  forum 
of  American  Oratory. 

All  these  splendid  faculties  were  set  upon  a  bed-rock 
of  great  "Common  Sense,"  which,  although  not  a  faculty 
of  brain,  yet  is  more  valuable  than  all.  and  without  which 
the  greatest  intellect  may  accomplish  but  little. 

When  the  great  adversity  that  surrounded  the  early 
days  of  Mr.  Satterthwaite,  the  very  limited  education  he 
received  and  the  circumstances  attending  his  admission 
to  the  Bar,  are  all  considered  I  think  he  may  well  be  put 
down  as  an  extraordinary  man. 

The  Bar  that  he  entered  was  for  years  composed  of  the 
very  ablest  lawyers  of  the  state,  yet  he  soon  acquired 
and  retained  all  his  life  a  commanding  practice.  Although 
his  life  was  crowded  with  other  pursuits  as  well  as  law,  he 
maintained  his  practice  and  great  reputation  to  the  last ; 
and  on  the  day  he  died  he  was  expected  to  act  as  the 
Chief  Council  in  a  very  important  will  suit  in  a  county 
where  he  did  not  practice. 

Mr.  Satterthwaite's  heart  was^  as  big  as  his  brain-^he 
loved  his  friends  better  than  any  man  I  ever  knew.  I 
cannot  say  he  hated  lys  enemies.  His  generous  nature 
was  not  endowed  with  that  satanic  quality.  His  charity 
was  as  broad  as  his  character. 

In  the  years  I  was  with  him  he  gave  away  about  all  he 
made  to  the  poor,  and  he,  in  fact  and  truth,  let  not  his  left 


51 

hand  know  what  his  right  hand  ditl.  He  did  not  pro- 
claim his  charity  to  the  world,  but,  if  all  the  poor  old  men 
and  women  who  have  limped  in  and  out  his  office  could 
speak,  they  would  say  that  none  ever  came  away  empty 
handed.  He  had  not  very  many  sins,  and  charity  to 
cover  a  much  greater  multitude. 

His  name  and  memory  arc  embalmed  in  the  hearts  of 
our  people. 

Literally  a  self-made  man,  his  untutored  youth  expanded 
into  a  manhood  of  commanding  influence  and  power,  the 
peer  of  the  many  great  men  who  were  his  contempora- 
ries. 

When  he  died  he  leffa  void  which  has  not  been  filled. 

G.  H.  BROWN,  Jr. 

^^ashhu^ton,  N.  C. 


EXTRACT  FROM  A  SERMON, 

BY 

Rev.  E.   M.  GREEN, 

Pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,   Washington,  in  7i.'hich 
he  very  feelingly  alludes  to  Mr.  Satterthivaitc  : 


We  would  remark,  explicationis  gratia,  that  a  strong 
tie  of  amity  had  formed  between  these  gentlemen  ;  and 
the  latter  was  accustomed  to  quite  frequently  attend  the 
services  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  under  Mr.  Green's 
direction. 


This  community  has  received  many  solemn  admonitions 
from  Divine  Providence.  It  has  not  been  long  since  a 
prominent  citizen  of  this  town,  after  a  day  of  ordinary 
labor,  left  his  office,  but  before  reaching  his  door  fell 
senseless  to  the  earth,  smitten  by  the  Hand  of  God,  and 
was  borne  into  his  house  only  to  breathe  his  last.  The  com  - 
munity  was  startled  !    A  pall  of  gloom  hung  over  the  town  i 

As  with  awed  spirits,  and  solemn  hearts,  we  gathered 
around  him  and  bore  him  to  his  last  resting-place,  it 
might  have  been  said  of  said  of  him  as  was  said  of  the 
great  Pitt,  when  he  passed  from  earth  :  "  London  was 
solemnized  for  one  day."  Washington  was  solemnized 
for  one  day.  For  one  day  !  Soon  the  impression  faded 
away.  We  severally  resumed  our  duties  and  our  busi- 
ness, and  the  lesson  of  Providence  faded  from  our  minds. 
As  some  great  ship  founders  at  sea,  and  suddenly  goes 
down  in  mid-ocean,  the  waves  covering  it  over  and  the 
very  spot  lost,  so  he  went  down,  and  so  was  he  forgotten, 
save  in  those  hearts  which  can  never  forget. 


A  lew  thiys  aj^o  a  youth  (Warwick  Telfair )  in  the  early 
dawn  of  manhood  was  suddenly  cut  down,  the  second 
time  within  a  \ery  brief  period  that  the  young  have  been 
admonislKcl  that  thc'\-  are  not  exempt  from  the  ravages  of 
death;  and  to-day  we  w-ll  follow  to  the  tomb  one  (Mr. 
Cray  Griffin)  who  has  long  lived  among  us,  and  with 
whom  we  daily  associated — who  "'being  dead  yet  speak- 
eth  " — for  stretch'ng  out  from  his  dying  bed  his  emaciated 
hands  to  heaven,  and  asking  for  salvation  through  a  Re- 
deemer'.^ l.looil,  he  vvarneti  ali  who  approached  his  bed- 
side to  I'.ewaie  of  the  fearful  error  into  which  he  had  been 
betrayed,  and  net  to  postpone  li!l  a  dying  hour  the  great 
business  of  life.  And  \et  we  close  our  he;irts  against 
these  warnings  and  lorget  thai  we  must  die  ! 

"  As  IViiDi  tlic  wiiiLT  no  sc'.'ir  I  Ik.'  sky  retains. 
The  parti'd  wave  no  I'urrnw  limn  the  keel, 
B(j  dies!  in  human  hearts  the  thought  ofdcatii." 


54 


MEETING  OF  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS. 

The  Board  met  Monday  at  lo  o'clock  A.  M.,  James  L. 
Fowle  presiding.  Present:  Messrs.  B.  B.  Reaves,  B.  P. 
Godley  and  Churchill  Bright.  Minutes  of  last  meeting 
read  and  approved. 

After  a  few  appropriate  remarks  by  the  Chairman  in 
regard  to  the  death  of  F.  B.  Satterthwaite,  Esq.,  one  ot 
the  counsels  for  the  Board,  the  following  resolutions  were 
unanimously  adopted  : 

WiiEUEAt>,  It  has  pleased  .\linighty  God,  in  His  wisdom,  to  take 
Irom  our  midst  one  ol'tlie  attorneys  of  tliis  Boaid  and  onr  friend 
and  brotlier,  Fenner  B.  Satterthwaite,  therefore  be  it 

Resoimd,  Tliat  in  the  deatli  of  our  esteemed  fellow  citi'/A'ii,  we 
recognize  the  loss  of  an  eminent  citizen  and  a  noble  man,  in  whom 
were  embodied  most  of  the  virtues  that  adorn  mankind. 

Resolved,  That  this  Board  collectively  and  individually  hereby 
tender  its  sincere  sympathy  to  the  bereaved  family  of  the  deceased. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  published  in  the 
Ecro,  and  a  copy  entered  on  the  minutes  and  sent  to  the  family. 

The  Board  then,  in  respect  to  the  deceased,  adjourned 
until  Tuesday  at  lo  o'clock. 


55 


Tin:  HON.  JESSE  j.  VEATES, 

I"  a  iM-ivate  letter  from  Murfreesboro.  under  date  of 
the  1st  ,nst.,  speaks  as  follows  of  the  death  of  our 
esteemed  friend,  the  late  F.  B.  Satterthwaite   Esq  — 

"I  have  just  read  with  deep  distress  and  oloom  the 
obituary  notice  of  the  death  of  my  esteemed Vriend,  F 
B  Satterthwaite,  Esq.  I  little  thought,  when  I  parted 
with  him  last  tall,  amidst  the  joys  and  pleasures  of  our 
.i^rand  and  glorious  celebration  of  our  victory  over  our 
country  s  foes,  that  it  would  be  the  last  time  that  I  should 
behold  his  honest  and  manly  face.  I  am  in  deep  sorrow 
at  his  death^  I  trust  that  his  soul  is  in  heaven  I  will 
ever  remember  and  hold  dear  the  memory  of  E  B  Sat 
terthwaite."  '  ■     •  ^d-i.- 


MEETING  OF  THE  BAR. 


At  12  o'clock  on  last  Wednesday,  immediately  after  a 
recess  ot  the  Superior  Court  ol  this  county,  Ci  meeting  of 
the  Bar  of  this  (the  Second)  Judicial  District  was  held, 
for  the  purpose  of  paying-  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the 
memory  of  Fenner  B.  Satterthwaite,  Esq.,  who  died  sud- 
denly on  the  23rd  of  March  last. 

The  meeting  was  largely  attended,  there  being  present 
Judges  Reade  and  Rodman,  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
Judge  Moore,  the  presiding  Judge  of  the  Court,  now  in 
session,  and,  in  addition  to  the  Bar  of  Washington,  Maj. 
Henry  A.  Gilliam,  of  Chowan,  Capt.  T.  j.  Jarvis.  and 
Germain  Bernard,  Esq.,  of  Pitt,  Maj.  L.  C.  Latham.  <■( 
Washington,  and  Col.  D.  M.  Carter,  of  Raleigh. 

On  motion  of  Maj.  Sparrow,  the   meeting  was  organ 
ized  by  the  appointment  of  Judge   Rodman,  Chairman, 
and  James  E.  Shepherd,  Esq.,  Secretary. 

Judge  Rodman,  on  taking  the  Chair,  said  : 
Brethren  of  the  Bar  of  the  Second  Judicial  District  : 

We  have  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  expressing  our 
regret  at  the  loss  of  our  professional  brother,  Fenner  !>. 
Satterthwaite,  whom  it  has  pleased  God  to  take  away 
from  us,  and  of  testifying  to  the  world  our  respect  for  his 
memory.  Eulogy  from  me  at  this  moment  would  be 
premature. 

A  motion  by  Maj,  Thos.  Sparrow  that  a  committee  of 
three  be  appointed  to  prepare  resolutions  expressive  of 
the  sense  of  the  meeting  was  adopted,  and  the  Chairman 
appointed  Col.  D.  M.  Carter,  Major  Henry  Gilliam  and 
Thos.  Sparrow,  who  retired  and  in  a  short  time  returned 
and  reported  the  following  resolutions  : 

Whereas,  It  has  pleased  Almighty  God  to  remove 


57 

from  our  midst  Fenner  B.  Satterthwaite,  the  senior  mem- 
ber of  this  l^ar,  by  a  sudden  and  unexpected  death  ;  and 
whereas,  we,  the  members  of  the  Rar  of  this  Second  ju- 
dicial District,  have  assembled  in  public  meeting  to  take 
proper  notice  of  this  sad  event ;  therefore  be  it 

Resohrd,  That  in  the  death  of  our  late  comrade  and 
brother,  we  mourn  the  loss  of  our  oldist  and  one  of  our 
ablest  members,  who  has  endcj'.rcd  himself  to  each  of  us 
by  his  uniform  social  and  professional  courtesy,  and  has 
won  the  public  esteem  and  confidence  by  his  sii^nal  skill 
and  talent  in  our  honorable  profession. 

Be  it  further  Resolved.  That  we  tender  to  the  bereaxed 
family  of  the  deceased  our  deep  sympathy  and  condo- 
lence in  their  irreparable  loss. 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  presented  to  the 
Court,  with  a  request  that  they  be  entered  upon  its  min- 
utes, and  that  a  copy  thereof  be  transmitted  to  the  family 
of  our  deceased  brother. 

Resolved,  That  the  members  of  this  meeting  wear  the 
usual  badye  of  mournino-  for  thirty  days  in  token  of  our 
respect. 

D.  M.  Carter, 
H.  A.  Gilliam, 
T.  Sparrow. 

The  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted,  and  the 
Chairman  addressed  the  meeting  in  an  earnest  and  ap- 
propriate manner  regarding  the  character  of  the  deceased, 
and  expressive  of  his  sympathy  for  the  bereaved  family. 

It  W.1S  also  resolved  that  the  proceedings  of  the  meet- 
ing be  published  in  the  Washington  Echo. 

The  meeting  then  adjourned. 

Wm.  B   Rodman,  Chairman. 

J  AS.  E.  Siii-.iMii-.Ki),  Secretary. 

Upon  the  resumption  of  business  by  the  Court,  judge 
Rodman  presented  a  copy  of  the  resolutions  to  His 
Honor,  Judge  Moore,  and  asked  that  they  be  spread 
upon  the  minutes  of  the  Court.  The  request  was  cheer- 
fully granted  by  the  Court. 


EULOGIES. 


The  following  are  the  eulogies  delivered  at  the  nieeting 
of  the  Bar  of  this  District  to  give  expression  of  the  ex- 
quisite sorrow  felt,  and  irreparable  loss  sustained,  at  the 
death  of  the  late  F.  B.  Satterthwaite,  Esq.: 

REMARKS  OF  JUDGE  E.  G.  READE. 

Mr.  Cliiir:]ian  : — -I  had  not  the  pleasure  of  a  long  in- 
timate aquaintance  with  our  deceased  brother,  as  most  of 
those  who  surround  me  had,  but  I  had  kown  his  reputa- 
tion for  a  long  time.  We  lived  in  different  parts  of  the 
State,  but  his  name  was  favorably  known  to  the  profes- 
sion everywhere.  I  never  heard  a  Judge,  who  had  rode 
this  circuit,  speak  of  the  profession  in  the  circuit,  that  he 
d  d  not  name  Mr.  Satterthwaite  as  a  man  of  great  ability 
and  an  advocate  of  great  powers. 

in  his  d^-ath  the  profession  has  lost  an  honorable 
nie:nber. 

I  have  occasionally  met  him  in  political  bodies,  and 
I  bear  teistiinony  to  his  courtesy,  ability  and  patriotism. 
In  the  State  Convention  of  iS65-'66  he  was  sometimes 
called  to  the  chair,  and  although  he  had  not  much  ex- 
perience as  a  presiding  officer,  yet  I  thought  him  one  of 
the  best  in  the  body. 

The  State  has  lost  a  useful  and  honorable  citizen. 

Judging  from  what  I  have  observed  during  my  short 
residence  here,  he  was  a  popular  and  useful  member  of 
this  community.  He  did  not  allow  fiis  exalted  position 
to  place  a  distance  between  him  and  his  neighbors ; 
but  he  had  a  hand  and  heart  for  e\ery  worthy  man  ;  and 
his  hospitality  was  unbounded.  The  respect  and  affec- 
tion   of  his  neighbors  was  strongly    manifested    by    the 


59 

unusual  numbers  that  gathered  at  his  buii;il.  And  it  was 
jLiratifying  to  see  a  number  of  colored  persons  manifest- 
ing their  regard  by  keeping  up  on  foot  with  the  carriages 
for  several  miles  to  his  grave.  I  understand  that  it  was 
characteristic  with  Mr.  Satterthwaite.  as  indeed  it  has 
always  been  with  the  profession,  to  guard  their  interests, 
and  to  protect  them  in  all  their  rights  :  and  no  doubt 
they  duly  appreciated  it. 

His  loss  will  be  severely  felt  in  this  community. 

It  would  be  unseemly  in  me  to  speak  of  his  domestic 
relations,  and  ol  his  loss  to  his  family.  A  stranger  must 
not  intrude  there.  His  widow  and  children  cannot  be 
comforted  by  any  word  of  mine,  however  much  in  sym- 
pathy spoken.  A  kind  Providence  alone  can,  as  I  hope 
a  kind  Providence  will,  soothe  their  grief. 

"The  gentlest  flower  bedrenched  with  rain, 
Still  lifts  its  head  and  smiles  again, 
When  morning  light  dispels  the  cloud, 
VVhich  lately  thundered  last  and  loud, — 
And  may  their  hearts  be  as  the  flower." 

This  mysterious  Providential  event,  ought  to  have  its 
influence  upon  us  all.  Walking  from  his  office  to  his 
dwelling  at  the  close  of  the  business  of  the  day,  he  was 
stricken  down  with  apoplexy,  and  died  almost  immedi- 
ately !  Why  was  that  his  fate  instead  of  mine,  or  yours  ? 
It  may  be  ours  at  any  hour.  It  will  be  ours  soon  to  die. 
No  word  of  caution  or  of  warning  from  our  deceased 
brother  in  his  lifetime  could  have  had  the  force  to  remind 
us  of  the  uncertainty  of  life  which  his  mysterious  death 
has  had.  There  stands  the  fact,  stronger  than  a  thous- 
and witnesses,  that  there  is  only  a  moment  between  time 
and  eternity.     In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in  death. 


60 


EULOGY  II. 


REMARKS  OF  JUDGE  W.  A.  MOORE. 

Mr.  Chairman  : — My  intimate  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
Satterthwaite  commenced  in  187 1,  when  I  was  appointed 
presiding  Judge  of  this  District.  His  genial  disposition, 
courteous  bearing,  magnanimity  of  soul  and  symathy 
with  the  distressed,  won  my  esteem,  admiration  and 
affection. 

Others  can  more  properly  speak  of  his  social  and 
domestic  virtues.  His  life-long  friends  will  here  recall 
them,  and  this  community  will  never  forget  them. 

1  desire  to  revive  and  fondly  cherish  the  memory  of 
his  relations  to  the  Bench  and  Bar  ;  to  speak  of  him  in 
the  discharge  of  his  professional  duties  ;  his  conflicts  ; 
his  bearing  under  defeat  and  in  the  moment  of  victory. 
Here  INlr.  Chairman,  his  excellent  qualities  shone  pre- 
eminently. 

He  always  espoused  with  enthusiasm  the  cause  com- 
mitted to  his  hands,  exhausted  every  resource,  but  never^ 
even  in  the  excitement  of  debate,  could  he  forget  the 
most  respectful  deference  to  the  Bench,  and  the  most 
chivalrous  courtesy  to  his  adversary.  I  cannot  remem- 
ber that  I  have  ever  heard  him  utter  one  word  under 
excitement,  that  he  should  have  wished  unsaid  in  his 
cooler  moments.  In  this  high  quality  he  had  no  supe- 
rior and  few  equals. 

He  was  always  strong  before  the  Court  or  jury,  but  in 
his  appeals  for  mercy,  he  tilled  the  full  measure  of 
his   manhood.     Mere  his  whole  soul   was  aroused,  and 


61 

finding-  utterance  tlirou^h  his  i>rand  eyes,  mellifluous 
voice,  gniceful  action  and  splendid  elocution,  he  w;  s 
almost  irresistible. 

But  he  is  gone.  He  stands  at  the  Bar  of  the  ( jreat 
and  Final  judge.  Let  us  humbly  trust,  that  there  he 
may  find  that  mercy,  which  for  others  he  always  invoked. 


EULOGY    III. 


REMARKS     OF    JUDGE     W.    B.    RODMAN. 

Judge  Rodman  said  : — I  hope  my  brethren  of  the  Bar 
will  excuse  me  if,  before  I  submit  the  resolutions  for  their 
adoption,  I  add  a  few  feeble  words  to  what  has  been  so 
justly  and  so  feelingly  said  in  commendation  of  our 
departed  brother. 

I  have  been  professionally  associated  with  him  longer 
than  any  of  you.  When  I  came  to  the  Bar  of  this  Court 
in  1835,  he  had  been  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  I 
found  him  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  sitting  on  the  bench  of 
the  County  Court.  Soon  afterwards  he  had  some  occa- 
sion for  legal  advice,  and,  led  I  suppose  by  his  disposi 
tion  to  help  young  lawyers — a  disposition  which  lasted 
him  through  life — he  consulted  me  He  was  among  the 
first  of  my  clients.  Soon  afterwards  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Bar  himself  As  such  we  all  know  him  famil 
iarly.  In  many  respects  he  was  a  model  advocate.  He 
was  zealous  for  the  interests  of  his  client ;  but  his  zeal 
never  lead  him  into  unfairness,  or  indiscreet  passion.  He 
resembled  the  great  English  advocate,  Sir  James  Scarlett, 
of  whom  it  was  said  he  controlled  a  jury  by  becoming 
one  of  them.  !  ie  seemed  to  hold  his  finger  on  the  pulse 
of  a  jury,  and  to  be  able  to  judge  how  its  blood  run. 
He  never  went  so  far  but  that  he  could  feel  that  thev 
were  in  sympathy  with  him,  and  probably  he  never  lost  a 
verdict  which  he  ought  to  have  gained.  Above  all,  what- 
ever asperities  might  occur  in  debate  ;  whatever  irritation 
the  heat  of  argument  might  give  rise  to  on  either  side, 
when  the  case  was  given  to  the  jury,  and  his  responsibil- 
ity was  discharged,  no  remnant  of  ill-temper  towards  the 


(18 

opposinji;  counsel  lini>erecl  in  liis  mind.  It  was  too  iiiau^- 
nanimous  for  tliat.  I  fear  it  will  be  long,  if  ever,' before 
we  sec  at  this  Bar  his  superior  in  the  abilities  of  an  acho- 
cate,  or  the  graces  and  virtues  of  a  gentleman. 

I  often  met  our  deceased  brother  in  the  hospitality  and 
intimacy  of  his  famity.  In  all  his  domestic  relations  he 
was  beyt)nd  reproach.  Never,  in  all  that  intiniacy,  did  I 
hear  him  utter  a  cross  word  to  any  member  of  his  family, 
or  even  to  one  of  his  servants. 

He  was  by  a  few  years  my  senior  in  age.  I  am  his 
senior  at  the  Bar.  His  lamented  death  leaves  me  in  both 
ways  the  senior  member  ol  this  Bar. 

It  is  one  of  the  sad  necessities  of  life,  that,  if  we  live 
long,  we  outlive  our  early  friends.  How  sad  this  is,  none 
but  those  who  have  experienced  it  can  tell. 


EULOGY  lY. 


REMARKS    OF    MAJOR    THOS.    SPARROW. 

Mr.  Cliairnian  : — You  and  I  are  the  only  survivors  of 
the  Washington  Bar,  as  I  found  it  when  I  came  here 
eighteen  years  ago.  John  S.  Hawks,  Matthew  Shaw, 
Richard  S.  Donnell,  Jesse  Stubbs,  Edward  Stanley,  and. 
lastly,  our  friend  Eenner  B.  Satterthwaite,  all  of  them, 
honored  in  their  lives,  have  left  us,  beloved  and  lamented 
in  their  deaths.  It  reminds  us  of  "what  shadows  we 
are,   and  what  shadows  we  pursue." 

"Frieud  after  friend  de[)art8, 

Who  hath  not  lost  a  friend  V 
There  is  no  union  here  of  hearts 

Tljat  hath  not  here  an  end." 

There  never  breathed  a  more  generous  spirit  than 
Fenner  B.  Satterthwaite.  His  surpassing  abilities  as  an 
advocate,  his  readiness,  his  fluency,  his  tact  in  the  suc- 
cessful conduct  of  a  cause,  have  already  been  v>ortrayed, 
and  I  need  not  further  speak  of  them. 

He  had  an  open  heart,  an  open  hand,  an  open  purse 
and  an  open  door  for  all  He  was  pre-eminently  hospit 
able,  charitable  and  forgiving.  He  bore  no  malice  and 
harbored  no  resentments.  Of  all  men  I  ever  knew,  he 
could  with  more  propriety  repeat  the  well  known  lines  of 
Pope  : 

"Teach  nie  to  feel  another's  woe, 

To  hide  the  faults  I  see  ; 
That  mercy  I  to  otliers  show, 

That  mercy  show  to  me." 

My  relations  to  him  were  somewhat  ]:)cculiar,  and  with 
two  slight  interruptions,  kindly  and  usually  confidential. 


66 

When  as  yet  a  hoy  I  first  Kit  home  on  a  horsehack  jour- 
ney to  the  county  of  Hytle,  1  tound  entertainment  at 
his  hospitahle  mansion  near  Leach ville,  he  liavinj^  hut 
recently  been  married.  It  was  then  and  there  our  inti- 
macy begun.  I  experienced  then  and  there  that  gener- 
ous, whole  hearted  weUome,  which  so  many  of  the 
people  of  Beaufort  and  other  counties  in  North  Carolina 
have  until  the  day  of  his  death  enjoyed  in  so  pre  eminent 
a  degree. 

When  I  went  to  Raleigh  and  appeared  l)efoie  the 
Supreme  Cour  (Gaston,  Ruffin  and  Daniel  on  the 
Bench)  as  an  applicant  for  County  Court  license,  Sat- 
terthwaitewas  there  an  applicant  for  his  Superior  Court 
license.  It  was  in  1S44.  In  1847,  shortly  after  my 
removal  in  this  town  h'om  my  native  town  of  New  Berne, 
I  accompanied  him  to  a  field  of  honor  in  Virginia  as  his 
friend.  Though  of  a  kindly  nature,  he  was  a  man  of 
courage,  and  gave  such  honorable  exiflence  of  this  high 
quality  on  this  occasion,  that  all  the  world  will  bear  me 
witness  of  the  fact.  He  never  afterwards,  in  our  long 
and  familiar  intercourse  alluded  to  the  subject  of  this 
difficulty.  He  banished  it  from  his  heart  and  from  his 
mind. 

We  often  can\assed  the  county  of  Beaufort  together, 
both  before  and  since  the  war.  In  our  last  canvass  for 
the  Legislature  in  1S73,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  beginning 
every  speech  with  the  solemn  declaration,  that  he  "had 
turned  the  crook  in  the  road  and  was  on  the  down  hill  of 
life."  What  I  then  thought  a  figure  of  speech  only,  has 
proved  to  be  a  melancholy  reality.  He  has  left  us. 
"The  silver  cord  has  been  loosed,  the  golden  bow  1  been 
broken,  the  pitcher  been  broken  at  the  fountain,  the 
wheel  been  broken  at  the  cistern.  The  dust  has  returr.ed 
to  the  earth  as  it  was,  and  the  spirit  unto  God  who  gave 
it."  It  is  sad  to  know  that  we  shall  never  again  look 
6 


66 

upon  his  familiar  face,  at  his  office  or  on  these  streets, 
nor  listen  to  the  tones  of  his  melting  and  silver  voice  in 
this  courtroom,  marshalling  his  jurors  in  a  cause,  examin- 
ing and  cross-examining  a  witness,  with  his  masterly 
skill  ;  nor  pleading,  with  tearful  eye  and  melting  heart, 
for  some  poor  and  innocent  offender  against  the  laws. 
It  is  sad  to  know  that  death  did  not  confe  to  him  in  its 
milder  aspect,  as  to  "one  who  wraps  the  drapery  of  his 
couch  about  him  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 
Always  dreaded,  its  approach  to  him  was  simply  appal- 
ling. The  great  adversary  lurked  stealthily  for  him  in 
his  pathway  from  his  office  to  his  home,  leaped  suddenly 
upon  him,  and  struck  him  down  in  his  pride  and  in  his 
manhood,  ere  he  had  reached  its  threshold.  God  grant 
that  you  and  I  may  be  spared  a  similar  experience, 
"Let  us  also  be  ready,  for  in  such  an  hour  as  we  think 
not  the  Son  of  Man  cometh." 


EULOGY  V. 


REMARKS  OF  JUD(iF,  JAMES  E.  SHEPHERD. 

Mr.  Chairman : — After  the  feeling  and  impressive 
remarks  of  the  gentlemen  who  have  spoken,  I  had 
almost  concluded  not  to  attempt  to  add  anything  to  what 
has  been  so  eloquently  and  appropriately  expressed  ;  but, 
sir,  my  heart,  in  its  deep  and  earnest  sympathy,  prompts 
me  to  say  something  in  respect  to  our  deceased  brother, 
however  unpretending  the  tribute  may  be. 

Death,  sir,  that  needs  must  come  to  us  all — the  high  and 
the  low,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  old  and  the  young — 
and  whose  awful  fiat  no  earthly  tribunal  can  set  aside,  has 
appeared  in  our  midst,  and,  with  the  suddenness  of  the 
lightening's  flash,  has  stricken  down  in  the  height  of  his 
intellectual  strength  and  usefulness,  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished citizens  of  our  county  and  one  of  the  most 
prominent  members  of  our  Bar. 

It  was  not  my  privilege  to  have  known  our  deceased 
brother  in  the  earlier  years  of  his  life,  and,  therefore,  I 
have  but  little  personal  knowledge  regarding  the  history 
of  his  extraordinary  career ;  I  say  extraordinary  career, 
sir,  because  of  the  many  difficulties  he  had  to  contend 
with  in  attaining  the  high  position  which  he  achieved.  I 
have  been  told  by  a  member  of  his  family  that  he 
attended  school  only  six  months,  and  that  in  early  man- 
hood he  had  to  clerk  in  a  store  and  labor  in  the  field  for 
a  period  extending  over  four  years.  But  the  genius  of 
the  man  could  not  be  stifled  by  this  pressure  upon  his 
time  ;  performing  faithfully  and  zealously  the  duties  that 
devolved  upon  him,  he  yet  devoted  himself  to  the  im- 


68 

provement  of  his  mind,  and  the  developing  the  talent 
that  he  knew  was  within  him.  Industry  and  perse- 
verance enabled  him  t(j  conquer  the  difficulties  that 
begirt  his  path,  and  he  came  forth  to  take  his  proper 
position  among  his  fellow-citizens  who,  be  it  to  their 
honor  said,  yielded  to  him  that  support  and  encourage- 
ment which  his  industry,  talents,  and  perseverance 
deserved,  and  elected  him  a  member  of  the  Legislature 
of  his  native  state.  After  this  he  studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar.  Of  his  rapid  success  in  the  profes- 
sion which  he  hjid  chosen,  and  in  the  public  positions  to 
which  he  was  called,  it  is  needless  for  me  to  speak  ;  for 
his  reputation  is  well  known  and  has  become,  I  might 
say,  without  exaggeration,  a  part  of  the  history  of  the 
state. 

Those  early  struggles  of  our  deceased  brother, 
crowned  as  they  were  with  such  brilliant  success,  furnish 
a  striking  and  useful  example  to  those  similarly  situated  ; 
an  example  which  should  teach  them  that,  however 
numerous  the  obstacles  they  are  battliipg  against,  and 
however  dark  the  cloud  which  overhangs  them,  indomit- 
able courage  and  perseverance,  armed  with  a  laudable 
:rnl)ition,  with  God's  help,  will  win  the  victory.  Those 
early  efforts  of  our  brother  may  well  be  considered  as 
"footsteps  on  the  sands  of  time  ;" 

"Footsteps  which  another, 

Sailing  o'er  ht'e's  stormy  main, 
l^ome  forlorn  and  shipwrecked  brother, 

Seeing,  may  take  heart  again." 

Mr.  Satterthwaite  was  particularly  distinguished  as  an 
advocate,  and  many,  many  days  will  come  and  pass  away 
before  his  rich  and  mus'cal  voice  will  be  forgotten.  He 
was  a  great  jury  lawyer,  and  such  were  his  qualities  that 
there  were  some  critical  cases  in  which  his  place  could 
scarcely  have  been  filled. 


69 

Hut  liDwever  .threat  liis  nihility  at  the   Bar  and  in  the 
public    positions    ho    occupied,   there    was    that    in    him 
which   his  family  and  friends  will  remember  with   even 
more  pride  and  gratification.     I  speak,  sir,  of  that  kindly 
manner,  that  unbounded  hospitality,  and  that  liberality 
to  the  poor  and  distressed,  which  were  his  distinguishing 
characteristics  ;    characteristics,    sir,    which    could    only 
mark  a   man  of  a  large  and  generous   heart.     A  great 
writer  has  said— I  slighdy  paraphrase— that  in  the  dread 
hour  of  death,  "it  is  not  what  we  have  done  for  ourselves, 
but  what  we  have  done  for  others,  that  we  think  on  most 
pleasantly."     If  our  deceased   friend  ever  reviewed  his 
long  and  varied  life,  sure  am   1  that  the  thought  of  the 
many   charitable  acts  which   he   performed    were    more 
pleasant  and  satisfactory  to  him  than  the  remembrance 
of  any  distinctions  and  honors  he  may  have  won.     He 
will  be  missed,  sir.     His  friends  will  miss  him.     He  was 
always  affable  and  agreeable,  and  always  endeavoring  to 
please  and  entertain.     There  was  about  him  a  kind  of 
magnetism,  very  hard  to  explain,  but  which,  when  once 
felt,  was  very  hard  to  be  forgotten. 

His  clients  will  miss  him,  for  he  was  ever  zealous  in 
the  advancement  of  their  interests  and  in  the  advocacy 
of  their  claims.  His  eloquent  voice  is  stilled  in  death  and 
will  no  longer  be  heard  within  these  walls. 

His  family  will  miss  him  !  ah,  how  much,  no  mortal 
tongue  can  tell  !  for  he  was  a  devoted  husband  and 
parent.  I  have  been  told,  sir,  that  just  before  he  became 
unconcious,  his  eyes  rested  upon  the  faithful  partner  of 
his  joys  and  sorrows.  It  is  a  beautiful  thought  to 
cherish,  that  she  who  was  with  him  in  happiness  and 
affliction,  in  hope  and  despondency,  in  light  and  in 
gloom  :  she  who  had  climbed  with  him  the  rugged  hill 
of  life  ;  had  stood  with  him  upon  its  sun-capped  summit, 
and  with   him  was  descending  to  the  (jther  side,  should 


70 

have  been  near  in  his  last  struggle,  and  that  her  earnest, 
anxious  and  loving  face  was  the  last  earthly  object  he 
looked  upon  as  he  passed  into  the  dark  and  silent  valley  ! 
y^//of  us  will  miss  him,  sir ;  and  the  thought  of  his 
many  kindly  and  charitable  deeds  will  long  keep  his 
memory  green  in  the  hearts  of  his  friends  and  aquaint- 
ances. 


AN  ADDRESS, 

Delivered     by     Mr.    Sattcrtlnvaite     before     Esperanza 
Lodge,  Pitt  Cotinty,  1845. 

Noble  Grand,  and  Brothers,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen;— 

The  occasion  which  has  assembled  us  together  to-day, 
is  one  of  interest  to  the  heart  of  every  sincere  philanthro- 
pist. We  have  not  met  to  wage  the  contest  oi  heated 
party  conflict,  or  with  demonstrations  of  joy  and  exhul- 
tation,  to  celebrate  any  great  political  triumph,  or  to  echo 
back  any  pealing  shout  of  victory,  that  comes  from  some 
distant  battlefield,  where  the  shrieks  and  groans  of  the 
vanquished  and  dying  are  mournfully  blended  with  the 
triumphs  of  the  victor  Where  the  laurel  has  been 
stained  with  the  widow's  tear,  and  the  glad  song  of  the 
conqueror  is  saddened  with  the  wailing  cry  of  the  fath- 
erless and  destitute. 

No,  my  brethren  and  fellow -citizens,  we  have  not  met 
for  purposes  and  in  honor  of  triumphs  of  this  nature. 
But  we  have  met  to  honor  by  our  presence  to-day  an 
institution  which  has  achieved  glories  far  more  noble 
and  enduring  than  any  the  partizan  ever  accomplished, 
and  laurels  far  brighter  and  more  lasting  than  any  that 
ever  wreath(>d  the  sword. 

Tis  true  wc  come  this  day  to  rejoice  over  our  triumphs. 
We  coMie  with  the  glow  and  animation  of  victory  stirring 
our  veins — victories,  too,  won  amid  tears  and  groans. 
But  our  triumph  is  to  wipe  away  those  tears,  and  to 
stifle  those  groans  with  the  sweet  whisper  of  peace  and 
consolation  and  comfort.     We  have  assembled  this  day 


72 

and  dedicated  a  hall  to  the  principles  of  charity,  benevo- 
lence and  brothcrlv  love.  We  have  this  day  planted 
among  you  a  scion  from  the  tree  of  Odd  Fellowship, 
and  the  occasion  is  eminently  appropniate  for  a  plain, 
brief,  and  practical  discussion  of  the  principles,  plans, 
purposes,  and  objects  of  that  institution. 

The  Order  of  Odd  FelUowship  has  so  widely  diffused 
itself  within  a  few  years  past,  extending  and  unfolding 
itself  like  some  flourishing  tree,  branching  and  germinat- 
ing in  every  city,  town,  village  and  hamlet,  that  public 
attention  is  naturally  becoming  every  day  more  and  more 
attracted  towards  its  operations,  and  scanning  more 
particularly  its  fruits.  It  is,  therefore,  our  duty  no  less 
than  our  pleasure,  whensver  an  opportunity  offers  to 
unfold  to  the  world  its  character,  tendencies  and  opera- 
tions, so  far  as  this  may  be  done  consistently  with  that 
amount  of  secrecy  enjoined  as  a  part  of  its  obligation. 
This  is  a  duty  particularly  obligatory  on  us  in  a  country 
like  ours,  where  the  whole  authority  of  government  is 
derived  from  the  consent  of  the  governed.  All  citizens  are 
therefore  deeply  interested  in  every  organization  founded, 
and  every  principle  agitated  amongst  them,  as  they  may 
possibly  have  some  bearing  for  good  or  evil  upon  their 
institutions  and  may  thereby  effect  the  future  destiny  of 
society.  We,  therefore,  freely  admit  the  claim  of  public 
curiosity,  and  ask  but  the  candid,  impartial  and  unpreju- 
diced judgment  of  mankind  after  our  deeds  shall  be 
made  known,  and  we  fear  not  to  meet  the  strictest  appli- 
cation of  that  safe  and  wise  test — "Hy  their  fruits  shall 
ye  know  them." 

Before  entering  into  any  discussion  of  the  objects, 
plans  and  purposes  of  Odd  Fellowship,  I  feel  that  I  shall 
better  prepare  the  minds  of  my  audience  for  a  fair  hear- 
ing and  judgment  as  to  its  claims  upon  their  favor  and 
esteem,  when   1  announce   that  our  Order  lays   title  to 


73 

notliini;   in  its  nanu'  wlrch   it  cannot  boast  of  in  its  real 
character. 

It  is  emphatically  an  institution  independent  of  all  other 
societies,  human  or  divine  It  knows  no  ereed,  no  seet.  • 
no  party.  It  does  not  come  in  conflict  with  any  class  or 
denominatit>n  of  men.  It  has  been  a  common  (objection 
ur<;e(.l  against  our  Order,  (as  ay^ainst  every  other  oroani- 
zation  of  men,  having:;;  for  its  object  the  amelioration  of 
man's  moral  condition, ~)  that  such  societies  are  infringing 
upon  the  sacred  office  of  the  Christian  Church.  Far  be 
it  from  an\-  one,  and  nothiny  could  be  farther  from  the 
thouiijht  of  him  who  now  addresses  you,  than  to  derogate 
from  her  sublime  magnificence  and  superiority  o\  er  tem- 
ples made  by  human  hands.  As  the  sun  knows  no  rival 
in  the  heavens,  but  shines  on  in  undiminished  splendor 
and  glory,  eclipsing  all  by  the  brilliancy  of  his  rays,  and 
the  myriad  of  orbs  that  revolve  around  in  boundless 
space  can  but  letlei  t  his  golden  beams,  so  stands  the 
Christian  Church  upon  earth ;  a  monument  of  divine 
goodness,  wisdom  and  beneficence,  which  no  work  of  hu- 
man hands  or  -.ninds  can  ever  hope  or  dare  to  rival.  Let 
it  not  be  supposed,  theri'fore,  that  our  institution  is  an- 
tagonistic to  any  church  or  creed.  On  the  contrary,  the 
\'crv  principles  ot  our  Order  arc  sucli  as  meet  with 
the  concurrence  and  apj)robation  of  good  men  every- 
where, and  of  every  sect  and  faith  and  ensure  to  us  that 
harmony  and  unity  of  sentiment  which  is  the  very  soul  of 
our  fraternity,  and  which  is  e.\tcnding  its  happy  influences, 
wide  as  the  limits  of  ci\ilization  itself. 

There  is  but  one  faith  professed,  one  lesson  inculcated 
throughout  the  whole,  one  idea  worshipped,  professed  and 
practiced  by  its  votaries  :  these  are  benevolenec,  eharitv 
and  brotherly  love,  principles  as  eternal  as  that  (.reat 
iieing  from  Whom  they  emanated,  and  which  are 
bringing  and  binding  hearts  from  every  clime,  and  undei 

7 


74 

every  sun,  with  the  strongest  ties  of  a  generous  and  wide 
expanded  sympathy.  Yes,  my  brethren  and  fellow- 
citizens,  from  the  icy,  frozen  north  to  the  balmy,  sunny 
..south  ;  from  the  smiling  horizon  in  the  east  to  where  the 
Sun  makes  his  gilded  ocean  bed  in  the  west ;  everywhere 
beneath  the  wide-stretched  conopy  of  heaven,  Odd-Fel- 
loicship  finds  a  resting-place  and  a  home,  and  wipes  away 
the  tear  of  distress,  and  gives  to  the  houseless  wanderer 
joy  and  gladness.  The  altar  fires  of  our  Order  that  are 
blazing  with  us  here  are  also  felt  in  the  far  off"  wastes  of 
California,  and  amid  the  table-lands  of  Mexico.  Our  tem- 
ple dome  reflects  the  glitter  of  Heaven's  bright  stars  in 
every  land,  and  the  area  of  our  domain  is  circumscribed 
only  by  the  limits  of  civilized  man's  habitation. 

Such,  my  brethren  and  fellow  citizens,  is  the  extent  and 
universality  of  our  mystic  tie;  such  the  independent  na- 
ture of  our  institution  ;  such  the  unity  ancJ  harmony  of  its 
design,  and  such  the  efficacy  of  those  few  but  cardinal  vir- 
tues, which  she  inculcates  in  uniting  the  hearts  of  the 
good  and  humane  of  all  sects  and  denominations  of  men 
throughout  this  habitable  earth. 

And  in  view  of  these  characteristics  of  our  Order,  may 
we  not  well  boast  that  ours  is  no  sectarian  institution,  and 
the  mode  of  our  operations  no  warfare  upon  men  or  any 
of  their  associations  ? 

How  fully  and  emphatically  do  we  realize  those  beau- 
tiful lines  of  the  poet: 

"  Ours  are  the  plans  of  fair  delightful  per^ce, 
Unwarped  by  party  rage,  to  live  like  brothers." 

We  have  thus  endeavored  to  rid  your  minds  of  any 
prejudice  that  might  originate  from  supposing  that  we 
array  ourselves  in  competition  with  the  Church  or  any 
other  institution. 

Let  us  now  pass  to  the  nature  of  our  fraternity  and  the 
objects  it  seeks  to  accomplish.     In  conducting   my  en- 


75 

quiries  into  the  character  of  ()dd-l""ello\vship,  I  shall  not 
stop  to  amuse  your  curiosity  by  attemptint;  any  protound 
speculation  as  to  its  birth  and  origin.  This,  to  be  sure,  is 
a  question  that  might  interest  and  engage  the  attention  of 
the  curious  in\'estigat()r,  but  can  have  but  little  practical 
influence  or  importance.  For  whether  the  corner-stone  of 
our  Order  is  found  amid  the  relics  and  rubbish  of  a  dim 
and  distant  antiquity,  or  shining  with  the  polish  and  finish 
of  a  more  modern  day  ;  whether  its  fabrics,  in  all  its  ma- 
jestic and  beautiful  proportions,  first  arose  on  the  soil  of 
England,  or  it  was  here  that  its  architecture  was  planned 
and  erected  by  the  strong  minds  and  ingenious  hands  ol 
our  own  American  ancestors,  it  matters  not ;  for  after  all 
it  is  only  by  our  real  and  substantial  merits  that  we  are  to 
be  judged.  It  would  not  be  the  only  nor  the  best  test  ol 
durability  of  our  structure,  that  it  looked  scarred  and 
scathed  by  the  lightnings  of  many  years,  or  that  it  stood 
grim,  gray  and  gloomy  with  the  gathered  moss 
of  centuries.  The  progressive  spirit  of  mankind,  assisted 
by  the  lights  of  long  experience,  has  been  manifested,  and 
is  daily  being  exhibited  in  the  improvement  of  plans  of 
human  government  and  of  all  those  appliances,  inventions 
and  contrivances  which  are  designed  for  man's  superior 
comfort  and  happiness.  Hence,  may  we  not  well  argue 
(even  assuming  ours  to  be  a  modern  institution),  that  age 
is  not  the  only  criterion  of  merit,  but  that  beauty,  excel- 
lence, grandeur,  and  usefulness  may  be  the  discovery  and 
accomplishment  of  a  comparatively  modern  era. 

Our  Order  boasts  not  of  aristocratic  origin— no  noble 
parentage  nursed  its  tender  growth — it  is  of  humble  birth. 
A  few  poor  and  pious  men,  banded  together  for  the  mu- 
tual suport  of  their  families  and  themselves,  gave  the  in- 
stitution its  birth  and  its  name. 

We  offer  them  to  your  view  this  day,  fellow  citizens, 
our  ti-mplc  and  its  structure,  as  it  now  exists  and  stands 


76 

with  all  its  features  and  proportions,  in  plain  and  open 
view  for  your  inspection  and  scrutiny.  The  foundation 
of  its  fabric  is  universal  brotherhood  ;  its  strong  pillars  are 
''Friendship,  Love  and  Truths  The  principle  and  doc- 
trine of  its  faith  is  that  man  is  a  social  being,  bound  to 
sympathize  with,  to  aid.  protect,  and  administer  comfort 
to  his  unfortunate  or  suffering  fellow  man.  The  whole 
and  only  operation  which  it  seeks  to  accomplish,  the  en- 
tire mission  which  it  seeks  to  fullfil,  is  to  build  up  and 
sustain  among  men  a  system  of  active  practical  benevo- 
lence, which  shall  diffuse  throughout  society  and  through- 
out the  whole  world  the  healing  and  assuaging  influence 
of  a  wide-spread  beneficence  and  charity. 

The  whole  design  of  all  our  works,  the  mamspring  of 
our  action,  the  grand  and  momentous  secret  of  Odd- 
Fellowship,  is  fully  revealed  and  enhanced  in  that  one 
word.  Charity,  un  versal  Ch;:rity.  And  is  this  world  of 
ours  not  olten  in  need  of  such  comfort  and  consolation  as 
flows  from  Odd- Fellowship  ? 

Let  no  man  take  his  stand  on  the  prosperity  of  the  pres- 
ent hour  and  defy  misfortune  :  let  no  one  wrap  himself  up 
in  his  cloak  of  selfishness,  \\\i&  Diogines  of  old,  and  refuse 
to  give  or  receive  sympathy.  There  was  something  which 
even  Diogines  wanted,  and  history  is  full  of  examples  of 
the  unstability  of  fortune.  The  fallen  Wo/seywas  not  the 
first  who  found  occasion  to  moralize  on  the  state  of  man: 
"  To-day  he  puts  forth  the  tender  leaves  cff  hope  ;  to- 
morrow blossoms  and  bears  his  blushing  honors  thick 
upon  him  ;  the  third  day  comes  a  frost,  a  killing  frost, 
and  when  he  thinks  good  easy  man  surely  full,  his 
greatness  is  a  ripening — nips  his  root  and  then  he  falls,  as 
I  do." 

Cannot  each  one  of  u.s  call  to  mind  examples  which 
have  occurred  in  our  immediate  path  of  life,  teaching  the 
mutability  of  all  things  human.     Contemplate  the  picture 


77 

of  liie  as  blackened,  blight  of  crime  or  shadowetl  by  the 
deep  ylooni  of  po\erty,  sorrow  and  misery,  its  heart - 
revohini;  scene  stretched  out  before  you.  See  sin  and 
villainy  stalkin^;  with  an  impudent  and  confident  air,  as 
under  the  mantle  of  midnij^ht  darkness,  they  go  forth  to 
their  deeds  of  hellish  wickedness  and  depravity.  See 
fraud  (under  the  mask  of  friendship)  pilfering  the  weak 
and  ignorant,  and  duplicity  and  deceit  cheating  under  the 
garb  of  honesty  and  candor.  See  cold  and  heardess  self- 
fshness  luxuriating  amid  ill-gotten  gains,  while  squalid  but 
honest  po\erty  is  shivering,  hungry  and  in  rags  See 
hundreds  and  thousands  suffering  with  the  pinching 
pains  of  want,  that  the  crumbs  from  the  rich  man's  table 
would  relieve,  and  yet  they  are  starving,  unpitied  in  soli- 
tary misery.  See  sickness  and  disease,  as  with  ghastly 
stare  and  skeleton  finger  they  are  clutching  at  the  heart- 
strings of  the  poor,  dying,  friendless  wretch,  and  no 
one  by  his  couch  to  soothe  his  dying  pillow  or 
wipe  the  death  damp  from  his  cold  brow,  or  administer 
the  cooling  drop  to  his  burning  lips.  See  the  grave, 
yawning  in  gloomy  and  almost  solitary  mournfulness, 
with  no  weepers  by  to  moisten  the  clay,  as  with  sad  and 
rumbling  sound  its  clods  are  heaped  above  the  icy 
remains  of  some  poor,  friendless  and  forsaken  departed. 
See  the  widowed  mother,  like  Hagar  in  the  wilderness, 
doomed  to  listen  to  the  dying  groans  and  look  upon 
the  closing  eyes  of  some  loved  child,  with  no  sym- 
pathizing heart  near  to  offer  its  consolation,  no  friendly 
hand  extended  to  relieve.  See  the  poor  orphan,  reared 
in  ignorance,  the  noble  faculties  implanted  by  God  in  his 
mind  lying  waste  and  ulcultured,  while  all  the  passions  of 
his  young  and  pliant  heart  are  left  exposed  to  the  intlu- 
ence  of  evil,  and  maturing  in  sin  and  guilt  and  depravity. 
In  a  word,  see  all  this  beautiful  earth  of  ours,  one  vast 
Lazar-house  of  disease  and  one  field  of  strife  and  con- 


78 

tendon,  from  which  sighs  and  groans,  and  curses  and  im- 
precations, are  continually  going  up  to  heaven  invoking 
divine  compassion  or  interposition.  And  when  the  angel 
of  mercy  on  heaven-tinted  pinions  is  abroad  on  her  errand 
of  love  throughout  the  skies,  is  here  no  field  o'er  which 
to  stoop  from  her  ariel  height  and  shed  around  her  be- 
nignant smiles  ?  Is  here  no  field  for  charity,  benevolence 
and  brotherly  love  ?  Here  then,  fellow  citizens,  behold 
the  ground  upon  which  Odd-Fellowship  has  built  its  edi- 
fice, and  the  battle  ground  upon  which  she  has  erected 
her  standard.  It  is  amid  scenes  like  these,  which  we  have 
attempted  to  describe,  that  we  are  endeavoring  to  de- 
velop our  capabilities  for  usefuless,  by  arresting  this  tide 
of  social  and  physical  evil,  which,  like  a  deluge,  would 
seem  in  time  (if  unstaid  by  some  potent  agency)  to  sub- 
merge the  family  of  mankind  in  one  vortex  of  misery  and 
despair.  It  is  a  beautiful  feature  of  our  Order,  that  in 
thus  endeavoring  to  ameliorate  human  condition,  and  al- 
leviate human  sutfering,  and  provide  against  the  evils  of 
human  depravity,  we  practice  no  exchisive  philanthropy, 
but  the  ivorthy  in  any  rank,  and  class,  and  occupation  are 
gladly  welcomed  to  gather  with  us  around  our  loved 
hearth-stone.  It  is  the  lovliest  feature  of  that  heaven- 
born  nymph,  ''Charity,''  that  she  disregards  the  vain  and 
empty  titles  and  distinctions  that  men  would  seek  to  set 
up,  and  in  a  sanctuary  dedicated  to  her  homage.  All 
who  are  worthy,  whether  rich  or  poor,  humble  or  exalted, 
titled  or  unknown,  from  the  proudest  nabob,  luxuriating 
in  all  the  pride  and  pomp  of  boundless  wealth  and 
splendor,  to  the  poorest  Lazarus,  languishing  at  his  gate, 
all  with  us  are  compelled  to  kneel  upon  the  same  plat- 
form. All,  too,  are  equally  required  to  labor  in  perform- 
ing the  offices  of  brotherly  love  and  sympathy,  which  we 
inculcate,  and  with  equal  cheertulness  to  each  and  every 
member  of  our  fraternity.     A  brother,  however  low  his 


7!) 

degree,  if  distressed,  is  to  he  aided  and  comforted  ;  if 
sick,  to  be  watched  and  nourished  ;  if  dead,  to  be  de- 
cently buried.  If  his  widow  is  left  in  need,  she,  too,  is 
to  be  provided  for  ;  his  orphans,  if  destitute,  are  to  be  in- 
structed and  educated.  The  stranger,  if  in  want,  and  un- 
fortunate and  friendless,  is  to  be  succored  and  provided 
for.  Antl  the  aftlictcd  in  all  cases,  and  by  whatever  form 
of  distress,  if  he  has  the  key  to  unlock  the  door  of  en- 
trance to  our  fellowship  and  communion,  is  to  be  suc- 
cored, pro\ided  for,  and  received  into  a  brotherly  and 
sustaining  embrace.  Surely,  then,  an  institution  having 
these  benevolent  purposes  in  view,  should  well  challenge 
the  admiration  and  favor  of  mankind. 

But  it  is  another  feature  of  our  Order  that  the  charity 
thus  bestowed,  and  the  benefits  thus  effected,  are  silent 
and  noiseless  as  the  stealing  march  of  time  ;  like  the  gen- 
tle and  refreshing  dues  of  evening  that  form  unheard  and 
unseen.  The  charity  we  teach  and  practice  is  often 
reaching  forth  its  hand  and  wiping  away  the  orphan's 
tears  and  stifling  the  desolate  widows'  heart-rending  sobs 
and  cries,  "  but  who  knoweth  its  comings  in  or  goings 
forth  ?"  We  can  follow  in  the  track  of  the  desolating 
whirlwind  and  count  the  objects  which  have  fallen  victims 
to  its  fury,  but  who  has  explored  the  den,  where  it  once 
slumbered  in  silence  and  sleep  ?  We  can  view  the 
shivered  oak,  and  the  lifeless  remains  of  some  dearly 
cherished  object  which  the  lightning  has  blasted  with  its 
stroke.  But  who  has  seen  the  hand  that  winged  the 
messenger  of  desolation  or  sent  it  on  its  errand  of  demo- 
lition and  death  ?  So  it  is,  my  friends  and  fellow  citizens, 
with  the  secret  operations  of  our  Order. 

Thousands  of  hearts  that  were  at  one  time  almost 
pulseless  have  been  made  to  bound  with  joy  and  glad- 
ness without  even  seeing  or  knowing  the  hand  that 
administered  to  them  the  cordial  of  comfort.     From  the 


80 

eyes  of  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  who  once  bent 
beneath  the  heavy  oppression  of  sorrow  and  affliction, 
are  streaming  now  the  tears  of  joy  and  gladness  which, 
catching  the  smile  of  heaven,  and  reflecting  back  its  rays, 
are  converted  into  sparkling  gems,  the  proudest  and 
richest  that  could  deck  any  earthly  crown.  And  yet  the 
hand  that  brought  such  priceless  blessings  and  comfort 
and  joy  is  unseen  and  unknown.  It  was  the  injunction 
of  our  Saviour  Himself— "Let  not  thy  left  hand  know 
what  thy  right  hand  doeth." 

And  again  it  was  said  by  Him  "Let  thine  alms  be  in 
secret,  and  thy  father  which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward 
thee  openly."  It  is  in  strict  conformity  to  these  divine 
precepts  that  we  practice  our  deeds  of  benevolence  and 
charity.  And  in  view  of  its  triumph  a'  d  success,  and 
the  progress  to  which  it  has  attained,  does  it  need,  my 
fellow-citizens,  the  a- ray  of  and  statistical  facts  to  estab 
lish  its  claims  upon  your  confidence  and  esteem  Look 
around  you  in  every  section  \\  here  its  temples  have  been 
reared  ;  behold  everywhere  its  sustaining  arm  bearing  up 
the  weak  and  oppressed,  and  alleviating  the  pangs  of  the 
suffering  ;  behold  it  bringing  together  under  the  broad 
folds  of  its  mantle  the  bowed  down  and  oppressed  of 
every  country,  clime  and  kindred,  and  enstamping  upon 
^//the  signet  of  its  mystic  brotherhood  ;  behold  it  as  it 
stands  in  its  majesty  and  sublimity,  set  like  some  eternal 
city  upon  a  hill,  shining  by  its  own  light,  whose  rays  are 
fast  penetrating  a  world  ol  sorrow  and  sin  and  misery, 
and  is  lighting  up  the  hearts  of  thousands  with  joy  and 
gladness  ! 

But,  my  brethren,  there  is  another  point  of  view  in  which 
our  institution  may  be  regarded,  that  it  seems  to  me  must 
commend  it  to  the  favor  of  every  benevolent  and  charita- 
ble philanthopist  in  the  land.  We  cannot  well  estimate 
the  value  and  importance  which  confers  and  extends  that 


81 

greatest  of  all  blessings  in  a  free  Republican  government 
like  ours,  the  inestimable  treasure  of  education. 

This  feature  alone,  then,  of  our  Order,  that  it  gives  to 
the  indigent  orphan  an  education,  should  endear  it  with 
the  strongest  and  warmest  affection  to  the  heart  of  every 
sincere  lover  of  our  country.  It  has  been  beautifully 
said,  "  The  mind  of  a  nation  is  its  noblest  treasure,  a7id  in 
proportion  as  it  glozvs  and  glitters  with  such  jeiucls  will 
be  the  purity  of  its  government,  a7id  the  permaneyicy  of 
its  institutions^  It  is  undeniably  true  that  education  is 
one  of  the  chief  agents  in  preserving  both  religious  and 
civil  liberty,  and  nothing  can  have  a  more  wholesome 
check  upon  the  fanatic  or  intrigueing  demagogue.  The 
influence  of  Odd  h^llowship,  then,  as  a  dispenser  of  the 
lights  of  intelligence  and  instruction,  must  be  felt  in  a 
government  like  ours,  by  aiding  to  uphold  the  majesty  of 
the  laws  and  constitution,  and  preserving  in  their  prestine 
puritv,  our  free  Republican  institutions.  We  know  it  is 
the  conunon  cry  ot  demagogues,  that  secret  societies  are 
dangerous  to  our  government,  and  hence  we  have  seen 
an  attempt  to  foster  an  opposition,  and  organize  a  party 
whose  aim  and  object  was  to  pull  down  the  time-honored 
structure  of  another  society,  whose  designs  seem  closely 
allied  in  their  nature  with  those  we  cherish.  But  zchat 
we  confidently  ask  is,  can  there  be  in  Odd  Fellow- 
ship, either  in  its  plans,  organization,  or  the  purposes  it 
seeks  to  accomplish  anything,  to  excite  the  apprehension 
of  the  most  wakeful  sentinel  our  political  rights  ?  On 
the  contrary,  are  not  its  tendencies  in  every  respect  in 
favor  of  the  preservation  of  our  institutions,  and  con- 
servative of  our  liberties?  What  can  have  a  more 
humanizing  influence  over  the  angry  passions,  and  dis- 
cordant dispositions  of  our  natures,  and  thus  better 
soften  the  acerbity  of  heated  party  conflicts,  to  which  our 
people  are  so  peculiarly  exposed,  than  that  doctrine  and 
8 


teaching  of  Ijrotherly  lo\e  and  harmony,  which  is  the 
very  foundation  stone  of  our  super-structure?  Again, 
who  will  say  that  the  heart  which  feels  the  deepest  for 
human  woe  is  that  part  which  is  least  susceptible  of  pa- 
triotic devotion  ?  Or,  that  the  hand  which  has  oftenest 
wiped  away  the  tear  of  distress  and  sorrow,  is  therefore 
the  less  nerved  to  strike  in  defense  of  our  country's 
honor  ?  As  an  eloquent  brother  has  said — "No  blood 
that  stains  the  battle  held  of  Rio  Grande,  or  dyes  the 
burning  sands  of  Mexico,  shines  more  brightly  than  that 
which  was  shed  by  Odd  Fellows."  Among  the  gallant 
spirits  who  flew  to  their  country's  banner  in  the  hour  of 
danger,  and  who  now  only  wait  the  signal  to  join  their 
fellow  countrymen  in  the  field,  there  are  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  Odd  Fellows  who  would  rush  with  eager- 
ness around  their  country's  flag,  and,  if  necessary,  give 
up  their  lives,  and  their  fortunes  to  save  their  country's 
glory.  Let  no  one,  then,  suppose  we  are  less  patriotic 
because  we  are  zealous  Odd  Fellows. 

Be  assured  that  the  element  which  any  may  complain 
of  our  Order  exists  only  in  relation  to  the  mystical  signs 
and  ceremonies  by  which  we  are  distinguished  Irom  the 
rest  of  the  world,  and  have  been  adopted  only  for  that 
purpose  and  to  shield  our  fraternity  from  dangerous  in- 
trusion. We  have  been  influenced  in  the  adoption  of 
these,  by  no  desire  to  mystify  the  world  and  excite  its 
gazing  curiosity.  Our  principles  involve  no  secret  or 
mystery.  '1  hey  are  inscribed  in  glowing  characters  in 
the  broad  open  light  of  day,  and  before  the  eyes  of  the 
whole  world,  where  all  who  run  may  read,  and  under- 
stand. Let  no  one  be  caught  by  the  glare  of  our  em- 
blems and  regalias.  They  were  not  invented  to  lure  the 
fanciful,  or  attract  the  giddy.  It  is  true  they  possess  a 
meaning,  each  one  of  them,  and  carry  to  the  understand- 
ing of  a  brother,  a  deep  lesson  of  wisdom  and  virtue,  but 


8:i 

to  the  outside  world  they  are  but  external  o litter  and  show. 
It  is  then  for  the  sound  aiid  excellent  ptinciples  which 
we  promulgate,  lor  the  sterling  cardinal  virtues  which 
we  teach,  and  for  the  benevolent  and  charitable  practices 
which  we  enjoin,  that  we  rely  for  the  t;ood  opinion  of 
mankind. 

In  conclusion  then  of  this  part  of  my  address, 
I  would  say,  "think  not  our  deeds  are  evil"  because  they 
are  not  more  openly  performed. 

judge  us  free  from  all  suspicion.  The  whole  lesson 
and  iaith  which  we  inculcate  may  be  summed  up  in  a 
few  briel  sentences  and  they  are  such  as  have  met  with 
the  concurrence,  and  enlisted  the  co-operation  of  the  Chris- 
tian and  philanthropist  in  every  part  of  the  civilized  world. 
They  consist  of  a  belief  in  God,  and  veneration  for  His 
Holy  Name  ;  a  love  for  our  fellow  creatures  ;  charity  for 
his  faults  and  foibles  :  a  feeling  for  his  weakness  and  in- 
firmity ;  sympathy  for  his  wants  and  sufferings.  And  it 
IS  one  of  the  main  duties  in  the  life  of  an  Odd  Fellow. 
day  after  day,  to  testify  by  his  contmual  observance  of 
these  teachings,  his  faithfulness  and  adherence  to  his 
obligations. 

It  affords  me  much  pleasure  to  assure  you  that  among 
all  the  obligations  and  duties  of  Odd- Fellowship,  there 
are  none  more  imperative  upon  our  members  than  those 
relating  to  the  female  sex.  No  one  can  be  a  good  Odd- 
Fellow  who  is  not  a  good  husband,  a  good  father,  an  obe- 
dient son,  an  affectionate  brother,  and  a  faithful  lover. 
To  my  fair  hearers  who  have  honored  us  with  their  pres- 
ence, and  their  smiles  on  this  occasion,  I  would  say, 
that  while  you  are  not  permitted  (from  your  delicate  na- 
tures) to  engage  in  the  laborious  duties  of  turning  over 
and  tiling  the  clods  of  the  earth,  the  perils  of  war,  or 
the  tumult  of  politics,  so  you  are  also  excluded  from 
the  laborious  duties  incident    to    our  society.     But  you 


84 

have^'allotted  to  you  a  noble  duty,  that  of  moulding  the 
youthful  mind  and  giving  character  to  succeeding  ages. 
'Tisj'our  lot  to  control  the  stormy  passions  of  men,  open 
to  them,  the  purest  sources  of  happiness,  and  prompt 
them,  to  the  love  of  virtue  and  religion.  What  a  noble 
office  is  allotted  to  you  by  your  Creator !  First,  to  scat- 
ter your  charms  around  us,  to  sweeten  existence  itself* 
then,  like  angels,  to  soothe  us  on  the  bed  of  death,  and 
point  us  to  another,  and  better  life.  You  are  justly  re- 
garded by  all  good  Odd-Fellows  as  heaven's  las^,  best, 
gift  to  77ian. 

And  now,  my  brethren  of  Esperanza  Lodge,  I  have 
endeavored  to  discharge  the  duty  with  which  your  kmd 
partiality  has  honored  me,  and  while  I  feel  grateful  to 
you  for  the  honor,  I  regret  very  much  that  some  other 
gentlemen  of  more  leisure  and  ability  than  I  have  been 
able  to  command,  had  not  been  selected  to  address  this 
enlightened  audience  to-day,  in  a  manner  commensurate 
with  the  dignity  and  importance  of  the  occasion.  But, 
my  brethren,  I  feel  greatly  relieved  in  my  embarrasment 
and  difficulty,  when  I  reflect  that  after  all,  our  institution 
was  founded  and  designed  to  shine  by  the  light  of  its 
labor  and  works.  Its  fame  need  not,  nor  could  it  derive 
anything  from  the  polished  and  sparkling  tribute  of  elo- 
quence, to  enable  it  to  live  with  an  undying  lustre  among 
men.  May  we  not  well  anticipate  the  glad  day  when 
those  benign  principles  which  we  inculcate.  Friend- 
ship, Love,  and  Truth,  shall  shed  their  iuflnence  on  all  of 
our  people,  and  like  a  star,  shall  be  reflecting  the  lustre 
of  their  beams,  and  the  glorious  galaxy  of  our  country's 
banner  ? 

What  can  afford  more  gratification  than  the  proud  re- 
flection that  we  have  done,  and  are  endeavoring  to  do, 
our  duty  to  ourselves  and  our  fellow  creatures  while  here 
on  earth.     Let  each  brother,  then,  who  hears  me  to-day, 


85 

endeavor  to  discharge  faithfully  these  several  duties,  and 
when  each  and  all  of  us  shall  have  done  with  earth,  we 
may  have  for  our  last  hour's  consolation  the  soothint^  re- 
flection that  we  have  notli\ed  in  vain.  Then,  indeed,  we 
may  say  in  the  triumphant  language  of  an  eminent  pa- 
triot, only  recently  departed  :  "  This  is  the  last  of  earth, 
I  am  content  " 

F.   B.  SATTERTHWAITE. 


